


Stepping Into The Light

by Sunny_Window



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Action/Adventure, And the bodyguards are little shits, Author Is Bad At Nen, Canon Divergence, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gon and Killua won't appear till later sorry folks, Growing Up, Just a lot of people dealing with life and emotions really, Kurapika deals with Love, M/M, Most OCs are only minor/for plot, Neon is a diva, Strangers to Lovers, but there might be fluffy crushy Gon/Killua, cuz I'm a sap, the plot starts changing after Yorknew City but mostly for Kurapika
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-02-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:13:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 23,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22423135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunny_Window/pseuds/Sunny_Window
Summary: Kurapika is still stuck in the Nostrades' employ without knowing where to go. He thinks his goal is clear to him but the means of getting to it has become hazy. Then there's the fact that after Yorknew, Neon has begun acting strangely. He feels like there can only be more trouble on the horizon for him.Meanwhile, Neon is suddenly lost when the auction's events leave her with emotions that she's never experienced before. Among them is a growing attraction to her unimpressed bodyguard and also a sense of doom at her family's ruin. Perhaps she's not as clueless as she's been forced to believe?As she hatches plans to save her family through her own means and he gets more involved in the world of fashion and business than he ever wanted, the two will be forced to face each other and themselves in ways they never have before.
Relationships: Kurapika/Neon Nostrade, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 58





	1. Kurapika

**Author's Note:**

> Ho boy! I'm gonna try something new here. I've written long fics before and even finished one or two (I bet I sound promising) but I've never actually had a fixed schedule for writing them before. All my updates were spur of the moment things so I'm using this as an opportunity to fix that. I'm still tweaking the plan but hopefully it means at least one chapter a week. The reason I'm posting two right off the bat is because they're both kind of introductory/set up chapters that were meant to be one but I thought the multiple perspectives work better in different chapters.
> 
> Why this pairing? No idea. It's been a while since I've properly watched HunterXHunter but I love the idea of them, I love an unlikely pair! Or maybe I just like to ship rarepairs...(Leave me alone, I still ship Gon/Killua a lot too) As per my standard; a spoiled/girly/airhead character who doesn't get much runtime in a story always becomes a fav for me and I end up making up like 50 headcanons about them.
> 
> Just a fair warning that I've also used this as a chance to write in a lot about clothes; there's gonna be a lot of shopping/modeling/business stuff going on with the action and I know it doesn't always interest some people so just letting you guys know. Otherwise I hope you enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kurapika wonders on his duty and his charge and even comes to a surprising idea.

_Left… Nothing._

“And so, I told the stupid girl that her personal life didn’t interest me.”

_Right, also clear. Wait, was that guy by the door suspicious?_

“I mean I just said that her boyfriend looked better in the yellow. It wasn’t my fault she misunderstood, right? Screaming at me about minding my own business. Pff!”

_No, no, he was loitering by the toilets just trying to keep himself busy until his companion came._

“If you ask me, she could do better anyway; she was way too pretty for him. But, eh, she was rude as hell too. You should’ve seen her Kurapika... Kurapika?”

_Why does this place have so many blind spots? That hallway up ahead looks like anyone could just pop out of about five different doors._

“Hm... So I ripped her tongue out and stuffed it in a jar. Then I ate it.”

_At least there aren’t many people here. If nec-wait, what?_

“What did you say, Boss?!”

“Oh? You’re listening now? I’m joking. What would I want with some random girl’s tongue, anyway?”

Kurapika allowed his eyebrows to hover high on his brow for a moment longer while he discerned whether the girl before him was, indeed, joking. He began to walk again as she did “I’m sorry, Miss Neon, it’s hard to tell whether you’re saying something seriously.” 

“Rude,” Neon huffed “You should have been paying attention from the beginning. I was talking to you!”

She was an odd one. He’d thought so from early on. Who in their right mind enjoyed collecting human body parts like they were trading cards or decorations for the living room? Evidently she did; his Boss and charge, Neon Nostrade, was a difficult case to handle for certain. Spoiled rotten and withdrawn from the world by her father for her talents, Neon had almost no filter in her behaviour and viewed the world through a skewed lens. There was always a challenge in predicting how she would react to surrounding situations. The girl was known among past and present security for flying off the handle in her private moments away from the eyes of society. Coupling this unpredictability with her disregard for the feelings of other people made her a rather unsavoury person to deal with and it was a task that Kurapika, under his practiced calm demeanor, took little to no joy in. 

“I apologise again, but it’s my job to watch over you and make sure you’re protected. I was trying to stay aware of our surroundings.”

Neon crossed her arms over her chest with a frown “Well you’re not doing a very good job if you aren’t even aware of anything I’m saying to you.”

 _That’s not what I meant_ He wanted to hiss out and had to physically restrain himself from doing so. During his first job with her family, he’d noticed that when she was escorted anywhere, she barely spoke to anyone around her except for her attendant, Eliza. Those two gossiped and babbled incessantly like two nosy neighbourhood aunties. So much so, that she could easily forget the presence of any guard. However, recently Neon would begin a conversation with just about anyone (if the information from the others was anything to go by) and it was getting harder and harder to deter her. Was it because Eliza wasn’t around as often now? Since the death of her lover, Eliza had been struggling with getting back to regular life. It meant she wasn’t able to keep Neon company around the clock like before. Was Neon lonely without the closest thing she had to a friend?

Shaking his head with the effort of overthinking his Boss’ actions, Kurapika sighed and said, “What were you saying, Miss Neon?” He’d long since learned that people like Neon, or at the very least similar to her since it wasn’t easy to find an heiress in such a bizarre situation, were best protected when they were satisfied and indulged. Besides, the blond deemed that the hallway leading to the main offices of the bank they were in was now free of threats. He could spare her a _moment_ of attention. 

“I was telling you about my day!” Neon said, eyes wide as if him confirming that he truly hadn’t been listening was a surprise “I got into an argument with this girl while I was shopping this morning just because I gave her an honest opinion. It’s not like I did anything bad; store employees give people advice all the time. But she got so angry! The way common people argue is so strange. They’re so direct and, and... scrappy. I think she would have attacked me if Ba... Bakcho? Beacho-“

Kurapika inhaled sharply and tried to keep his internal cringe from showing on his face “Basho, Boss” It had been about four months since Kurapika and many of his of associates had come into the Nostrade family’s employ, well over three months since the noise of the Yorknew City auction had died down. But Neon still struggled with remembering the names of the guards around her?

“Yes! Basho! If he hadn’t been there, she would have gone for my hair! That’s what he said, anyway! All he had to do was move closer, and she scurried away so fast she nearly left her boyfriend behind. Having a big guy like him around sure is nice,” She giggled and her eyes strayed from looking straight ahead to linger on Kurapika. Even with the most casual glance, the Nostrade daughter always carried some kind of underlying intensity or fascination in her eyes. It was one thing that Kurapika noted on their very first meeting. She had greeted and dismissed her new guards with relative disinterest, but the way her eyes had swept over all of them, no matter how quickly, was as if she was studying them like a scholar did with a complex piece of literature. Of course, that kind of feeling was easier to forget after she spoke, all childish innocence and bratty nature.

She continued speaking, “I suppose I could see why a burly guy could be some people’s type. I think I see the appeal in someone less rough, maybe prettier? Or I’ve heard that some girls like cute guys. Hmm, I’m not sure what my type would be.”

 _Probably dead and in several pieces_ Kurapika once again bit his tongue from spilling his honest thoughts. Would it be such a bad thing to say out loud though? He wondered if Neon would take offense to it in actuality. Her hobby of collecting body parts wasn’t an unknown fact. And, as far as he knew, her lack of emotional connection with people extended out to romantic interests too. 

“What type of girls or boys do you like Kurapika?” 

The question violently grabbed him out of his thoughts and he focused back on the girl to realise that she was still staring at him out of the corner of her eye “I’m sorry?” He blinked, then mentally berated himself for getting so caught up in his own head and his opinions of his charge.

To her credit, Neon was being rather patient at having to repeat herself “Your type, Kurapika.” 

It gave him pause and even made him think. Did he even have a type? When was the last time that he had even considered things like attraction? When he wasn’t focused on his job, and even before taking on this one, his mind was just fuelled by his personal vendetta, his life’s mission; his clan, their eyes and their revenge. Not a day went by without him thinking about them. There were vague memories of being a child and hearing his mother tell stories about beautiful and gentle princesses waiting in marble castles or elegant and fierce warriors that fought beside the men they wanted to marry. Memories of whispering between friends that maybe girls weren’t gross and which ones might grow up to be the prettiest. But when he touched on those memories, he only felt his world turn red instead of feeling joy and comfort. Good. It’s what he wanted and what he trained himself for. There would be no joy, comfort or rest for him until he accomplished what he had set out to do.

“I don’t have one.”

“What?! But you must!”

“I don’t.”

“Tell me! I was told that everybody has one!”

“Why do you need to know, Miss Neon? It’s a rather personal thing to ask.”

“I just _wanna_ know! Tell me, tell me, tell-“

“We’ve arrived.”

It was about time too because Kurapika felt his fist beginning to clench. They looked at the front of a dark grey door that stood out against the much paler corridors they had been navigating through. The name ‘Culliger Trask’ stood out in bold, clean letters across the frosted glass. It was cold like the rest of the building and was a prelude to the office and person inside. More greed, more selfishness. 

She was not pleased at being cut off, clear by the pout, but they had run out of time and reason to keep talking. Dainty, feminine fingers closed around the handle, almost hovering with how lightly she held it. Was she capable of being that gentle? Neon did not push it open right away. An air of discomfort hung around her and he heard the faintest whisper, “Why do I have to be here?”

Whether or not it was a rhetorical question, there was still no answer from her silent guard. They both knew why she was there. Someone had to represent the Nostrade family. Kurapika just didn’t see how this little girl would manage it. If their family’s circumstances were any different, a representative experienced in these fields would have been ordered to attend. _That_ she most definitely was not.

* * *

Culliger Trask was a man who knew how to spin words and ideas into sounding like they were the sweetest anyone had ever heard. Kurapika had no reservations about that. With flecks of grey salted into his otherwise sleek brown mane and his bronzed skin, his calm and warm aura only doubled up to make sure that people let down their guard around him. Much like Neon had upon entering and seeing someone so unexpected as the owner of one of the most influential banks in the entire city. And now, for the past half an hour, he led her around like a child without her even knowing it while the blond could only stand in silence by the door and clasp his hands behind his back in disapproval at her constant stumbling in bringing forth her father’s proposal. 

“I’ll admit, it’s a curious request Miss Nostrade. One that I see little benefit for myself in,” Trask tapped a finger against his cheek with his arm propped on the desk. Far too casual. If he was dropping subtle disrespect to her and if she noticed, it was unclear. Kurapika couldn’t see her face from his position behind her and the heiress’ back had been straight and frozen for the last ten minutes. Trask finally stood up and continued, “To ask for such a large loan and not even from the bank itself but as a personal favour from me? I know our families have had dealings in the past but to warrant such an outlandish thing? There is also the fact of the rumours of the Nostrade’s shadier connections to think about.”

When Neon said nothing for several seconds, he added on “You’d think to be this bold, Light would come to me himself. Instead he sends his daughter; remarkable and renowned as she may be for her beauty and unique abilities,” The one thing that gave away Trask’s true nature was the ice in his eyes. Like spikes, they pierced through the bluenette as he stared at her hungrily. The look was enough to get her bodyguard to shift a little, setting the chains on his hand rattling, as if he was preparing to attack Trask if he tried anything. But the man barely moved, barely even twitched his eyes “But she has no experience in the business between grown men.”

“My father is in poor health at the moment,” She said with a slight quiver in her voice but a quick pause for a breath pushed it back “For such personal business, we thought it better to send me rather than an unknown face. And we’re not asking for the money without a deal, as I have said-“

“Ah, yes, yes, the... boutique and workshop building Light owns in town? The abandoned one. I think Light could offer me something more than that. The use of your fantastic fortune-telling for an extended amount of time, perhaps?”

At this, Kurapika saw Neon’s shoulders tense and her head drop a little lower “That is not something that I can offer.”

“Is that so? Well, that is a pity. I suppose our current deal will have to suffice then. Oh come now, don’t be so shocked Miss Nostrade,” Trask chuckled, seeing a look that Kurapika couldn’t. But even he was taken aback by the sudden turn in events. Hadn’t all this fallen apart? Trask explained, “My young son shows a lot of promise and he glanced over the initial documents you sent over. As you know, banks are my forte but not my only business. He is under the impression that this building is a worthwhile investment. I have my doubts but this could be a good opportunity to test him and perhaps even allow him to prove me wrong. I can place no value on my son’s experience and development so we will accept your offer.”

There was a pause in which her breath hitched before she responded “Thank you.” It was the most simple and honest Kurapika heard her be in a long time.

Trask waved a hand dismissively “I will ensure my people send all the completed paperwork to your father, presuming he’s well enough to handle that, at least.”

Neon nodded and stood, making her way to the door Kurapika now held open for her. She was just in front of it when Trask spoke again.

“I would love a fortune-telling session soon, Miss Nostrade, I’d love to experience it myself at least once.”

With speed Kurapika found disturbing, Neon schooled her wide eyes and open mouth into a forced gentle smile that would fool anyone who wasn’t looking at her beforehand. She turned with a flourish to Trask again “Perhaps when my father’s health is better! Goodbye then, Mr. Trask.” 

* * *

The ride back to the mansion was a quiet affair which Kurapika was thankful for. Neon neither brought up the conversation about attraction from before nor did she complain about Trask beyond her statement that she didn’t want to speak to him again. That left Kurapika to contemplate his current position while he watched the scenery roll by from the bustling city to the gentle hills surrounding the Nostrade land.

After the events of Yorknew City, there were several days during which he thought on what to do next. The Mafia was in chaos after the number done on them by the Phantom Troupe. Neon’s body part collecting was still one of his best options for seeking the rest of the Kurta eyes, but there was one glaring hole in that plan. With the loss of Neon’s nen abilities and the collapsing Mafia order that needed restoring, the Nostrade family was facing ruin in the system. Light Nostrade hadn’t yet announced Neon’s problem, but there was only so long that he could keep the illusion up. On top, now there was a scramble to prepare as much money as possible and to re-establish themselves; even if it meant switching to legitimate channels.

Kurapika wasn’t sure how doing things legally would be useful for his personal quest. So he considered leaving; a notion that Mr. Nostrade was quick to catch onto. He begged Kurapika to stay, to pay and provide him with whatever he needed. A desperate part of the man still hoped Neon’s abilities would return to her, that they might just pick up where they left off and Light could put himself in the running for one of the new Ten Dons. It wasn’t much of an argument in Kurapika’s eyes. But then Melody, with whom Kurapika had entrusted many of his secrets, asked him to stay on too. It confused him, her bizarre loyalty to this family and why staying had any use for her either. She had been vague in her own reasons but had logically debated that finding a new lead from square one would be even harder for him; staying for a while longer and being patient had a higher chance of paying off. It made some sense and with the Troupe’s trail having gone cold after their confrontation, he assented. 

Unfortunately, that left him where he was now. Every day was a repeat of him leading the Nostrade security force to watch over their employers, primarily Neon, who couldn’t keep still ever since the auction. She sought no new pieces for her collection and only occupied her time with shopping and visiting many different locations with no rhyme or reason. Sometimes she would also be sent out on errands for her father like today, but Kurapika noted that Light Nostrade was becoming more and more flippant with his daughter’s strict lifestyle. 

Any further thought on the girl he shared the car with or her father would be put on hold as they pulled in through the large iron gates of the mansion and the car crunched on the gravel. Once they’d disembarked and entered through the front doors, Neon scrambled up the stairs after having caught sight of Eliza going to one of the upper floors.

“Make sure you help yourself to anything the kitchen’s prepared and tell the others too! I remember Bacho saying that you guys eat the cheap, basic stuff in that dingy old staffroom fridge. Oh! And also, check the bags I dropped off in there before we left for the bank!” She waved as she ascended the stairs, her hair bouncing around her. 

Even if he had bothered to correct her on Basho’s name again, her orders had thrown him off too much to do so. Had she just invited them all to dinner? No, maybe that was a stretch but she, Neon Nostrade, the princess that only had selective human decency, had just offered her guards the food from her fancy kitchen as casually as a regular person. From anyone else it wouldn’t have so much as registered, but from her, he felt his eyes widen from his stoic facade. 

The door to the security staff room stood at the end of a short corridor to the left, behind a deceptively frail looking door that turned out to be reinforced and required entering a passcode and an ID card to access. With Neon now gone and the surprise from her parting statement wearing off, Kurapika headed towards it. 

Inside the lounge was nothing remarkable; just some sofas, a coffee table piled up with some magazines, a bookcase filled with the most uncohesive collection of books and a small kitchen crammed into the corner. Directly opposite the door leading in was a glass door beyond which an array of lights and monitors were active. The Operations Room. It was the most expensive part of their entire offices, even more so than the private quarters for any of the mansion’s staff who lived on site. The Operations room was running live feeds of every single camera within the Nostrade grounds, not to mention some legally questionable connections to cameras from the nearby roads, and also used some of the latest computers available. It was also where many of the weapons used by the bodyguards were stored.

There were about fifteen members of the security team who worked around the clock in the building. Of them, seven were personal bodyguards; Melody, Basho, Linssen and Kurapika served as Neon’s and the other three were Light Nostrade’s. The others were left to the day-to-day safety of the property itself. Even now, Kurapika could see two guys’ backs through the glass door as they focused solely on the camera surveillance. Two would be patrolling the building somewhere. In a matter of hours, the final four would pick up their shifts so that the ones on duty could get some rest. When either of their charges were at the house, the bodyguards would also lend some assistance. But Kurapika, as the person now in charge of the entire team and not just Neon (as per Mr. Nostrade’s instructions), knew that they needed to hire more on site security soon. The issue was the money... and how they were running out of it. 

The other three members of his team were all in the staff room, sipping steaming mugs of either tea or coffee. Kurapika glanced at the clock mounted on the wall by the kitchen and sighed in relief. He’d made it just in time for their break. He had opted to leave them all there since this was meant to be a short errand into the city and both Basho and Melody had already done a long and agonising shift early in the day when Neon took her shopping trip. Linssen was on a night shift to be on call in case anything happened with Neon, but it looked like he had arrived early. 

“Kurapika,” Melody smiled warmly as he walked in, already looking at the door. She most likely heard him approaching long before he opened the door. “How did Miss Neon’s meeting with Mr. Trask go?”

Faintly, he returned the smile but his face tugged into a frown just as quick. He joined his teammates on the sofas, hunching forward and resting his elbows on his knees “He agreed, he’s giving the family a personal loan. We were lucky.”

“Lucky? How come?” Linssen asked, eyebrows rising behind the dense steam of his tea cup pressed close to his mouth “Did the little Miss not do well?”

The blond shook his head as he replied “Not at all. He crushed her entire presentation under a bunch of technical jargon and shredded it to pieces without her being able to argue. We were lucky because he said his son viewed it as a valuable investment and said something to the effect of wanting to use this as a training experience for him. If not for that, we would have lost it since the Boss had no idea what she was doing,” His mind flashed back to how Trask behaved with an air of disrespect and to how he had towered in that silent, gleeful victory over Light Nostrade’s daughter. Like a predator eyeing up prey, deciding if it was worth killing. With a scoff he added, “What an unpleasant man... If he would agree from the beginning, why did he drag it out?”

“Unpleasant, huh? Sounds like a real dick. Didn’t I tell you he had a name that sounded like he’d be a dick, Mel?” Basho made a sound between a cackle and hack of his throat “Shoulda been Mr. Nostrade what went to see him.”

Melody’s own mouth wriggled a little as she bit her lip “I suspected something like that might happen. It’s not Miss Neon’s area of expertise at all. I hope she didn’t take it to heart too much.”

Ever since they returned from Yorknew, Melody had been showing a little more concern for the young woman than any of them had. It was something Kurapika had noted, since she convinced him to stay on and keep working there, but made no mention of since it didn’t affect her work in safeguarding the girl. The only thing that changed was that Melody was a little more responsive than the others to the conversations Neon had struck up.

He shrugged “Despite her complete lack of knowledge or wisdom on the subject of business, I have to admit I’m surprised by the Boss’ ability to control her reactions when she fell flat,” His thoughts wandered back to when they were leaving and how she’d managed pull off such a polite smile before they exited. Had she stayed that collected in her expressions while she fumbled through her words, when he couldn’t see her? Even when her body language gave her away, had Neon looked up calmly into Trask’s predatory gaze? “He was putting on an aggressive attack but she never slipped into her terrible attitude like she does here, almost like a different person.”

“Hmm, I’m not too surprised by that, if you think about it,” Linssen set his teacup down and to be met by three curious pairs of eyes “You have to remember that despite her personality and her odd hobbies, she is still the Nostrade family’s jewel. Her father may have isolated her from the world, but there were still people that she would end up meeting face to face for consultations, ones instrumental in Mr. Nostrade gaining more influence, especially early on. I heard from the older staff members when I first started about how Miss Neon would be put through hours of etiquette training almost daily to make sure that she wouldn’t offend any of their clients while they mingled.”

Basho made a hissing sound through his teeth “Damn. She must’ve been still pretty young at the time. So even the little lady has a few surprises up her sleeve. She just chooses not to behave then.”

“Well, I suppose if it helped in getting Trask’s money, anything is useful,” Kurapika allowed himself to lean back “He said that he would send over all the finalised documents soon so all we can do is wait. Unless Mr. Nostrade decides on anything else, I’m assuming it’ll be business as normal for the next few days.”

There was silence for a few minutes as the three of them finished their drinks and their leader allowed his eyes to close and rest. He may have only been out for a few hours but he had spent all day co-ordinating their efforts as usual, on top of meeting Light to discuss his plans that Neon would present to Trask. Even then, it had seemed like a shaky deal and it was almost obvious that his employer was grasping at straws. That they had succeeded was a miracle. 

“Hey, by the way, why are these here? They were part of the Boss’ haul this morning. Did she leave them here by accident? Should we send someone to get them?” Basho drew everyone’s attention to the coffee table which had four small, yellow shopping bags on it with the name ‘ _Namiere_ ’ printed in cursive on each one.

“Oh,” Kurapika’s memory suddenly jolted as his tired brain caught up “She told me that those were for us to look at. Also, Miss Neon said that we’re now free to eat from Nostrade kitchens if we feel like it. She said to help ourselves,” That elicited some chuckles to this from the two other men.

“Well, that’s a relief to know.” Linssen smiled.

“Yeah, we been sneaking food from there every once in a while for a few weeks now,” Basho grinned playfully “Don’t have to feel bad about it now, I guess.”

Melody and Kurapika exchanged glances, Melody in slight amusement and Kurapika in slight exasperation, while those two continued to rejoice in their new privilege. They turned to the bags on the table. Kurapika had been about to reach for a random one until he noticed one had a bright pink note stuck to it with his name scribed in a glittering purple ink. It was a strange sight, his name, that he only looked at on his Hunter’s license and on serious messages sent to him, written in such colourful and bubbly characters. His hands grasped the bag addressed to him in specific. Inside was a rectangular black box with the same name as the bags but this time printed in silver. Peeling the note off, he flipped it over and saw a message on the back:

 _'I ordered these a few days ago and picked them up today. The security team’s looking a little messy and cheap, but I want at least my personal guards to look a little more well dressed. I made sure I picked a fabric that suited all of you well and lasts a long time. Make sure you guys wear these from tomorrow! You’d better, Kurapika!_ ’

“Oh, my...” He heard Melody gasp and looked up to see she had already opened the box inside the bag. With some kind of interest, he pulled the lid off his own box with a little haste. Inside sat a necktie in a sleek black colour with a very slight shine to it and a tie clip with the Nostrade name engraved on it. 

“This looks expensive!” Basho took the words right out of their mouths after he’d seen Melody’s reaction and also opened one box “Where’d these come from?”

“From the Boss,” Kurapika’s eyes were still on the tie as he passed the note around to the others so they could read it. With his now free hand, he touched the item and felt the smooth, soft fabric it was made from which was so unlike the simple tie he had adopted for his own suit “I think she means that they’re a gift.”

Basho looked dumbfounded. He pulled the tie from the box in a hurry and held it against his neck with the silver clip glinting a little off the fluorescent lights in the lounge “Are you serious? A gift? From _her_?”

Linssen had mimicked him and was now turning the necktie over in his hands “It’s strange, I don’t believe anyone on the staff has ever received a gift from her. Well, maybe Eliza but other than that... And on top of her offering us the use of the family’s kitchen?”

“Yeah! Don’t you think the lil lady’s been kinda strange for a while now?” Basho nodded “Even before this, she’s been a hell of a lot more chatty with us than she’d ever been when we first met her. She keeps talking about everything she’s buying when we take her out shopping and even greets us everyday like a normal person! I didn’t say anything until now, but this is definitely something weird.”

They touched on all the same things that he thought about earlier that day. As he looked down at the box, Kurapika realised there was something different about Neon. Much like the note she had left him, her words were still harsh and selfish but he couldn’t deny that she was attempting to acknowledge and socialise with them more.

Melody placed her own box on the table and gently folded her hands in her lap as she took in a breath “I’ve been debating whether I should say anything for some time now,” She paused as the three guys focused on her “But I’ve noticed that ever since we returned, Miss Neon’s heart has been chaotic. I’ve heard a flurry of emotions echo in her chest non-stop; guilt, panic, sadness, loneliness, excitement, anger, worry, determination. But they all flit by so fast and are so erratic that I don’t think she knows what to do with them. I think... that maybe the events at the auction affected her more than we imagined.”

“I agree,” Kurapika placed a hand to his chin as he pondered “The Boss gave up on the auction very quickly after Squala’s death. And she spent the better part of a week locked away in her room, but I guessed that it was because her ability wasn’t working.”

“Yes,” She said, “Perhaps many things she had forced herself to repress in her life bubbled up with all those emotions. If you consider how she’s been alone for so long, her wanting to socialise more with the people around her is likely one result of this. You in particular, Kurapika.”

“With me? Why?”

Melody tilted her head as if he had been missing the obvious “She’s been requesting your presence the most and talking to you even more than the rest of us. She brings up your name quite often when we’re with her. Her heartbeat is much faster whenever she’s around you too, all fluttery and unsure.”

His mouth went dry. _She’s...She’s not suggesting what I think she is, is she?_ But his gut had already dropped and ice cold dread was weaving itself through the veins in his body “W-What, what are you trying to say?”

“Well, you two are similar in age and you were the one who came to her rescue in Yorknew City. Don’t you agree that Miss Neon might have a crush on you, Kurapika?”


	2. Neon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neon has a restless evening and too many thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second part of the introduction. Apologies that it's shorter than the first! But I hope you still enjoy it.

“I think I really like him, Eliza!”

A soft thumping sound and a creak echoed around Neon’s room as she fell backwards onto her large queen sized bed. The evening was now settling in and bathed the room in a warm orange glow as the light filtered in through the massive windows. There were sure to be staff bustling around as they set up dinner, but she couldn’t hear a thing up on the second floor. Aside from the distant chirping of birds as they either settled in from a long day or the night dwellers headed out. That, and Eliza’s very light, ghost-like giggle. 

It made Neon turn onto her side to look at the older woman. She was sitting on the fluffy white rug by Neon’s bed with her legs folded under her. In a simple gesture, she raised her eyebrow as if she wanted Neon to completely spill out her thoughts.

“I mean... I said, I think, I’m not sure,” Neon grumbled and brought a fluffy toy to her chest while still looking Eliza in the face. Neon was now beginning to frown as she retraced the events from the day in her mind “You were the one that said it sounded like I had a crush on him when I told you! My face gets all warm and I kind of feel like I’m gonna throw up but it’s not gross, and he’s so pretty that I want to just keep staring at him.”

Eliza had a puppy in her lap that she kept by her side all day. Now she fiddled with his large ears while smiling although Neon swore that there was some tension in her shoulders “Yup, definitely sounds like a crush to me.”

Neon groaned at her attendant’s answer “But what do I do next? I’ve watched like a million romance movies and I’m still confused. The flirting thing doesn’t really work since he barely responds when I talk to him. I don’t even know if he likes boys or girls, or both, or none!” Her hands ran through her hair in vigorous motions as she thought back to the disaster of her conversation with Kurapika before she met Trask. In a nature unusual for her, she had tried to be subtle in asking but regardless of giving her an answer, it turned out he had not even listened the entire time she was talking! Without considering her words, she sighed, “How did you and Squala end up realising you liked each other?”

And all of a sudden, all tension Neon had been unsure of before crashed down on Eliza’s shoulders and she saw the woman flinch. Neon’s stomach felt empty and her heart sped up to where she almost lost her breath.

“No! Wait, I didn’t mean to say that!” Neon cut her off so fast Eliza wouldn’t have time to even form proper thoughts. The heiress scrambled to sit up now and continued to ramble, “Forget I said anything, don’t answer that! I mean it, wipe that from your memory right now! I’m just thinking and complaining out loud.”

Other people would have simply apologised and moved on, maybe checked on their friend, but Neon only blurted out soft and flustered commands. Why couldn’t her brain just let her say sorry like a normal person and leave it? She knew, of course, it was a ridiculous thing to get upset about, since Eliza was the one suffering the worst at the moment. But the knowledge that she’d upset her friend and then couldn’t even form the right words of apology only made her more upset. It frustrated her enough to make her bang her head against a wall or cry herself.

There was also the small stab of pain in her heart and the tightness in her throat when she realised she’d thought about Squala. It was an emotion she’d become familiar with over the last few months and was trying to learn to cope with. Eliza, through her own tears and sobs, informed her this was sadness and grief. When they first returned from Yorknew City, it had been so bad that Neon locked herself in her room where the cameras couldn’t see her. She cried so much that she remembered her head pounded as if someone smashed a hammer into it. She didn’t understand why or how, but it began the moment she’d seen Eliza breakdown; something inside Neon had stopped functioning when the one person she had been around for years collapsed, no longer the standard sweet and friendly face accustomed to her. 

After that, it forced her to think about the people who died. She realized there were many, some she didn’t even know, like the three other guards at the auction. Squala, who worked in their mansion for years alongside Eliza, brought Neon dogs and puppies whenever she’d thrown tantrums and needed cheering up. She always feigned disinterest when he went on and on about all the dogs in his care, but the truth was that it always gave her some small peace. Dalzollene, who once was in Kurapika’s current place and watched over Neon with such dedication almost like a father. The pain was always too intense when she remembered Dalzollene. She never considered how much attention and care he put into looking after her, how he could have brushed aside any of her feelings or desires under the pretense of it being in her best interest. Sometimes it may have been because of her throwing a fit but if that was the sole reason then he wouldn’t have praised her like he did, wouldn’t have given her stern words of comfort or reprimand. In some ways, it stirred memories of her mother. That train of thought would always lead her to start crying again... much like she wished to now.

Eliza sat in silence for several minutes while she stroked the pup’s long fur with shaking hands. Then she looked up at last and, with some effort, tugged the corners of her mouth into a small smile “It’s alright, Miss Neon, I know you didn’t mean to,” Despite her awkward and pained expression, her voice came out much steadier than before “I’m just... getting used to people saying his name without him being around to answer to it.”

For her part, Eliza was always more empathic than most people in dealing with Neon’s mood swings and verbal thoughtlessness. It had taken time, many days, until she herself emerged from her room and returned to Neon’s side. With her outbursts Neon never cared if anyone got in her way, but these emotions felt so much more raw and intimate that Eliza was the only one she allowed to see. There were days when they both hid away in Neon’s huge bedroom and cried together until they couldn’t anymore. Eliza made mention that it helped her too and even thanked Neon for it; another notion that Neon didn’t even try to comprehend yet. It would only make her head hurt again. All that mattered was that it helped. The sooner she saw Eliza smiling like herself, the easier it would be for her to tackle all the new feelings rattling around inside her. 

“Are you gonna join us for dinner?” asked Neon, eager to move on after pausing for a few seconds. Eliza had been coming to see her and often wandered around the castle, but getting her to eat in the dining room was another thing altogether. She always took her dinner away into her room; Neon had no idea why, although she didn’t press. 

“I, I, um, I don’t think so,” Eliza answered as her features settled into a look of concerned apology. A little flustered, she added “But I can accompany you tomorrow! You said you were going on another shopping trip, right?”

Neon’s eyebrow raised just a little “Are you sure?” She desperately wanted to take Eliza every day, but the woman became exhausted and miserable within a few hours of being outside of the house. It was another thing that Neon made no moves to push and allowed Eliza to pick when or where she wanted to keep Neon company. Over the last month, especially, she noticed Eliza was making more of an effort and came out more often. 

“Yes, I could use some warmer clothes for both myself and the dogs now that the winter months are settling in,” Eliza gave the puppy in her lap extra tummy scratches “But if it’s okay with you, you said you're going to meet someone tomorrow too, so I might leave before then.”

“I guess that’s okay, I’ve got no problem with it and I’ll get one of the guards to take you and all the shopping back when I leave to meet Jennie” Neon hummed and tried to slip in a little of her default flippancy to her tone. Her friend settled down a little when she heard it. Since Eliza made no more mention of Squala, Neon made a strong mental note not to ask anymore love life questions until Eliza was ready to broach the topic herself. Otherwise, she believed she would mess up and make her friend feel terrible again.

But it left Neon with no one to discuss her frustrations with. This appeared as another result of the auctions’s events; her desire to connect with people around her, those to come to for advice and fight boredom. At that moment, she wished more than ever that she became closer to the staff around their mansion sooner, when she was younger, so she would have at least someone else to talk to. Neon imagined that a lot of them had many experiences and stories to share. Some maids probably had great pointers on what to say to her crush. But who knew whether they would gossip about it later to anyone who would listen? She wasn’t close enough to anyone to trust them. Clueless how to approach them, she had no one to tell her how to do so either. It was an annoying cycle she was struggling to break out of. 

So, it left her little choice but dealing with it how she did with anything else; charging in headfirst. Her guards sat on the top of that list. It proved difficult to talk about things other than herself at first. Whenever she went out shopping and Eliza wasn’t there, her desire to discuss everything she looked at, the pros, the cons, the overall aesthetics and popularity, was so strong that she no longer made efforts to hold back and blabbered on. But with more days passing, she found she wanted to know what kinds of items they liked and what they would do in their spare time. It shocked them at first, even someone as socially inept as her knew, and they stuttered through their answers. Even now, they gave short and unsure replies and a lot of the clothing and art talk seemed to go right over their heads. The short female guard engaged with her the most and she looked at Neon with expressions that the bluenette couldn’t decipher although they didn’t appear unkind. Her name was Melody but, Neon had no use for names in the past so she struggled with remembering them, she couldn’t be certain.

One name she remembered was Kurapika. He stood at the pinnacle of that list of people Neon wanted to befriend. Like she’d told Eliza, she found him fascinating to look at. In her eyes he was as pretty as a lot of girls she’d seen before and it made her heart beat quicker when she would spot another one of his features she found appealing. She realised that whenever he was around; she didn’t want to turn away and all the air would leave her if they made eye contact or whenever he spoke. It was a nice voice that she wanted to listen to often and would almost soothe if her feelings weren’t such a mess. Even when she only thought about him, her stomach would start doing acrobatics. Much like it did when all this started. She woke up after being knocked out and heard that Kurapika came to her rescue. In the auction’s chaos and the subsequent months since, as she had time to be around him, they only became more intense and confusing until she had no choice but to ask Eliza or fear that she lost her grip. Later she was first informed what all these bizarre things meant; a crush.

He also just so happened to be the biggest challenge in talking to. Much like she had found out today; he rarely had time to listen to what she was saying because he only saw his job as a bodyguard. _Talk about tunnel vision_ She pouted as the thought crossed her mind. Or he just chose not to listen. But that kind of thinking made Neon’s stomach churn in much less pleasant sensations and she forced herself to ignore it.

She sighed in resignation that her problem would not solve itself that evening and dropped herself down to the floor beside Eliza. After letting the puppy lick her hand a few times, Neon remembered what Squala used to do for her when she her wonderings didn’t leave her in peace “Wanna go find the other puppies and see if they wanna play?” She asked Eliza.

* * *

As it turned out, Neon had been the only one to turn up to dinner. Eliza kept to her idea and only escorted Neon down to the dining room, grabbed her food and wandered off upstairs again. A sharp pang stabbed Neon in her chest when she noticed that her father hadn’t turned up either. His chair sat empty and there was food placed in front of it. That meant he planned not to turn up. But he sent no one to tell Neon about this. A prickling burn spread through Neon’s upper torso and she was vaguely aware that her palms were somewhat sweating. 

Aside from the staff who asked her whether she wanted seconds of anything or if a particular dish was to her liking, the room was silent as she ate. When she finished, the heiress thought about going up to her father’s office and checking on him. Then she remembered that he dismissed her or straight up didn’t answer the last few times that she had gone up to visit him. Instead, she marched straight to her room with heavier steps which thudded up the floors of the mansion. Her mind settled on going to bed early.

However, after tossing and turning for the better part of a few hours, her restlessness got the better of her and she threw the crumpled covers aside. Slipping on her favourite slippers and nightgown, she cracked her door open and glanced down the corridor. No lights. She looked back over her shoulder and tried to make out the clock on one of her dressers using the moonlight. It was nearing midnight. Most folk in the mansion were turning in to sleep already.

With a resolute nod to herself, she slipped out of her bedroom and this time maneuvered to the best of her ability. Unfortunately for her, her best was about as stealthy as a charging rhino. Several times she walked into something that she could not see properly in the darkened hallways and the lack of moonlight through the windows on this side of the mansion only made it more irritating to her. She stopped, on several occasions, to make sure she hadn’t woken up anyone. 

Neon did reach the stairs by some miracle. It took a few more stumbles to make her way down to the bottom. Now standing in the entry room, her eyes travelled to the door closest to the stairs as she approached. She missed the handle a few times from the lack of light but she managed at last and then her other hand went to her neck. She slipped a delicate silver chain from under her silk nightdress. A key matching the intricate designs on the door hung from it. Her hand clutched a little tighter. The only key to the door in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she jammed it in and dragged the door open.

The room wasn’t the largest in the house, but it was grand; marble pillars with winding patterns and fantastical figures carved into the stone standing in each corner as a primary means of support to the glass and metal balconies that acted as a fake second floor. There were no windows for security reasons and the whole room was lit by two large crystal chandeliers from the high ceiling. Family portraits hung from many walls, most depicting a woman that resembled Neon in almost every way. The true eye catching things were the displays in the room though. Glass cases, ornate stands, wire suspensions and even technologically specific storage for certain pieces scattered all over the room. This was the place where Neon Nostrade, legendary fortune-teller and body part collector, kept her morbid collection.

She didn’t turn on the lights this time as she placed herself down in the near centre since, even in the dark, she knew this room almost by heart. Some days it reached a point where she would spend almost all day without leaving, admiring any new acquisitions or wondering how it would look better by arranging things. On some occasions her father had to forcibly eject her so she would do her tasks. He understood she wouldn’t put up as much of a fuss... unless she wanted to risk endangering her collection. 

“Hey, guys,” She grinned in no specific direction “I finally picked out something for those guards of mine! It was so hard picking up the order in the store without them getting suspicious but I think I’ve surprised them!”

The room was silent in response. Neon closed her eyes and imagined the voices in her head that she associated with each item. The calcified heart of a lost civilisation’s princess sitting in a case directly in front of her had an airy laugh that swirled gently around all her thoughts. Comforting and playful for the most part, but Neon always believed there was also a tinge of condescending to it too. The fingernails of a mass murder, cracked and dirtied from his numerous escape attempts, barked out so harshly it would have made Neon jump if the sound had been real. His gravelly voice told her she was being an idiot.

“I hope Kurapika likes the necktie! I _did_ take the others’ appearance into consideration too, but I also picked what would be best for him.” Neon twirled a strand of her hair around her finger. In the dark, the soft blue looked like the deep midnight of the night sky when she tried to make it out.

Above her on a wire hung the bones of a creature so old, no one even remembered its name. It resembled a whale so the sounds Neon imagined were the same. The mournful song she often heard didn’t echo in the hollow parts of her at that moment, instead it sang a slow and relaxing tune which joined the sweet laugh of the princess in her mind. It relaxed her more than any twisting of the sheets in her bed or wringing of her hands had all day.

She smiled once again “Maybe it’ll even be enough to make him forget how badly I flubbed Dad’s meeting today. You should have seen that Trask guy! He was making fun of me but he used so many words and terms I didn’t understand that I can’t even tell you how he insulted me! It’s just lucky that he still agreed and that’s all Dad needs to know.”

The fingernails hissed that she should have thrown something at him like she usually did.

The suggestion made her chuckle with no actual amusement “I know, right? I should, but then Dad definitely would’ve gotten mad at me. I didn’t wanna mess up. He’s already skipped so many dinners planning away in his office and the dinner table’s pretty lonely without Eliza there. I’m just kinda left all by myself to think about stuff I’d rather not.”

From the far corner the creaking, pausing and dry voice of a famous Soothsayer’s tongue asked her if she was alright. In her mind, it was the closest thing she guessed to what a Grandmother would be like.

“I haven’t come to see you guys in a couple of days and I feel so much better. You’re all so pretty and sweet. Exactly like I left you.”

She knew. Neon knew people viewed this as a messed up hobby. Even someone like her saw the macabre elements of it all. All the pieces were always there, organised into their designated spaces, every time she came back or needed comfort; no need to seek anyone else out. Everything had a history too, they had all once been people or creatures that lived and experienced the world in ways she might never appreciate. Some histories she made up or filled in the blanks, taken from the strings of memory of her mother telling her bedtime stories. Every little detail of their lives ingrained themselves in her mind, whether true or her own fantasies. And they were alive to her; her friends who never left her.

And now that she wanted to talk to people who would respond to her for real, touch her or hold a conversation, she panicked often. Not to mention the ebbing swirl of guilt as if she was betraying all these things in her collection. No matter how much she discussed these phenomena with this room, she received no answers back. _Because it’s all your voice you dummy and if you can’t figure out the answer, neither can they_ An eerie voice would try to whisper in her ears when the darkness settled in too strong and the room gave her the cold shoulder. Every time, she shut it up with desperate haste. 

There was an empty stand nearby. The jars for the scarlet eyes from the auction stood in that spot for a day or two. And then they vanished. Fakes. The eyes which caused so much grief in the first place turned out to be nothing but a con. She remembered the look of barely contained fury on Kurapika’s face when she had run to her guards, exclaiming her shock at their disappearance. Something about his face then that caught her eye in particular but she didn’t have too long to dissect this before they whisked her away to examine the empty spot and the next time she glanced at his face, it settled back into its regular state. Perhaps he was angry that what he worked so hard to attain was stolen? Many things of value got stolen during that trip.

She wandered carefully over to the only desk in the room and pulled a stack of blank pages closer. The trademark pen she used in most of her readings lay in the same place where she placed it the last time she had been there. Bidding the room to be silent, she raised the hand holding the pen and concentrated on a list of names and faces that she knew enough about. Her eyes squeezed together so tight she almost saw stars. Did she feel a tingle? But her hand wasn’t moving. After several minutes she opened her eyes.

The paper was blank and her hand still hovered above it. So she tried the same technique again.

The paper was still blank.

She tried again.

Still blank.

Again.

Blank.

Again. _Again_.

_There's nothing there, moron._

“No!” Neon’s hand slammed onto the stack so hard several pages flew in different directions. The calm she forced herself into was now bubbling with heat and her hands shook. Her body warmed so fast like it could set on fire at any moment. It was the same each time she tried to summon her Lovely Ghostwriter. 

The paper stayed blank for over three months now.

“Why isn’t it coming out?!” The faint view of the paper and her hands became blurry as tears clung to the corners of her eyes. Her teeth gnawed on her lower lip as her voice wobbled “It can’t be gone! I... I... What’s Dad going to do if I’m not gonna be useful anymore?!”

It finally slipped out. The truth of what frightened her; that awful feeling in her stomach whenever he skipped out on dinner with her or when he turned away her visits unless he had an errand for her. Those errands, she noticed, were less and less enforced with security. Before the auction, there would have been no way that just one guard, and the driver had accompanied her. Light Nostrade would have sent out a full force to safeguard her and taken nothing less. 

His face had taken on such a terrifying pallor when he asked her if anything was wrong with her Nen and she’d confirmed it. His shoulders shook with either rage or fear. She was too distraught and afraid herself to really notice it. But a few days later, after they returned, he told her to be quiet and leave for the first time. Her father even yelled at her for disturbing him. It made her scurry away without even the notion of throwing a tantrum. Neon had spent the entire evening trying to force her ability to manifest that night, through all the tears streaming down her face.

The fact was that she couldn’t tell the future anymore. It was gone, taken by a thief as if nothing more than some common trinket. Something always roiled in her, made her want to vomit, that a piece so connected to her had been ripped away.

“What am I going to do, guys?” She sighed, trying to calm herself again, and furiously rubbed at her eyes. The room’s occupants overlapped each other as they all pushed their own thoughts at her. They talked about her father hating her, sympathised for the poor abandoned child and mocked her once again for how incompetent she was.

The sound of the door opening was so loud that it made hop right off her seat at the desk. She’d forgotten to lock herself in after coming inside. A sliver of light across the floor allowed enough ambient light to bounce around the room so that she spotted all the papers scattered on the floor. Her eyes sailed up the stream of brightness to the figure standing in the doorway, shadowed by the lights turned on in the corridor behind him. Her heart pounded suddenly as she recognised the silhouette.

“Miss Neon? Are you, okay? Why are you sitting in the dark during the middle of the night?” Kurapika’s voice drove away any whispers the room might have sent to her.


	3. Kurapika

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After finding Neon in the vault, Kurapika accompanies her to a meeting with her childhood friend.

It was getting into the late hours of the night before Kurapika could make his much desired exit from Light Nostrade’s office.

Every member of Neon’s guard took their Boss’ offer of food from the kitchen. There was no convincing necessary. The food in the mansion’s kitchens, where only the family and their guests or assistants dined, was leaps and bounds above anything the small cafeteria stored in the servant’s dorm. Basho and Melody were quick to scarf down food and bid Kurapika and Linssen goodnight. While Linssen nursed his overstuffed belly and slouched into the Operations Room to begin his night watch over Neon, Kurapika went off to give Mr. Nostrade his final report on the day before turning in as well. 

He never imagined that he would end up taking a few hours to go over, in excruciating detail, every moment of the meeting. Mr. Nostrade’s face was pale and gaunt, the skin stretching thinly over the cheekbones. A plate of food sat on his desk with only a few spoonfuls taken out of it and was in danger of getting buried under the increasing piles of paper strewn over the desk. Kurapika tried to sneak a peak at some of the contents as subtly as he could. His employer had noticed and shuffled some things around before the blond made heads or tails of it. Despite asking Kurapika to stay and relying so much on his input, it appeared that Mr. Nostrade was still clinging to his own secrets and control. Or perhaps the irregular sleep patterns and lack of food were starting to make him even more paranoid.

Regardless, Kurapika was glad when he was released at last. The lights in the corridor to the office had already been turned off, leaving the door leading into the office with a halo of soft light around it. To him, it only appeared ominous due to knowing about the deteriorating man hidden away inside. He shivered at the image and turned away with haste. The sooner he was in bed, the better.

As was the pattern for that night, he was once again halted when his in ear radio crackled to life and Linssen’s voice told him that Neon had been stumbling around the hallways and visited her vault. Again. There had been a couple of instances in the last few months that she had been caught on the night cameras going through the mansion in the dead hours. The first time alarmed the people on watch and they called Kurapika on to decide what to do. There were no night cameras inside the vault, only outside the door to monitor people going in and out and a regular one inside that didn’t show much of anything in the dark. The camera by the door was Kurapika’s idea, like many of the night cameras placed around the building, but inside had yet to still needed an upgrade. That meant they didn’t know what Neon had been up to for the two hours she’d been in there while they waited, but when she’d emerged and appeared unharmed, they left it alone, and only told Mr. Nostrade. Whether or not he discussed it with her, the next time she went out on her moonlight strolls, they didn’t hinder her and just watched her go in the vault and shamble back to her room some hours later. 

This didn’t seem any different, as Linssen’s lack of urgency suggested, and Kurapika was just being informed after they spotted him through the cameras. He was almost on auto-pilot as he reminded Linssen to keep a close eye on the door to the vault, as if the older guard didn’t already know, and then mindlessly took the quickest path through the mansion to get to the front doors beyond which lay the dorm and sweet, sweet sleep.

His eyes landed on the door to the vault when he reached the front of the house and stopped. As he was walking past, a voice drifted into his ears from the direction of the vault alongside the sound of frantic movements. He’d never approached the room when Neon was in there before. Or hardly ever, if he could avoid it. The talking was too muffled, but he was quite sure there was only one voice. And Linssen said nothing about another person going in with Neon. With narrowed eyes, he clicked the radio on again, “Did you see anyone else go with the Boss or follow her in?”

“No, just her. And now I see you, but no one’s come or gone in that time.” 

He moved closer to the door and held out a hand for the knob. A few more steps and he would be right in front of it. Even this close, a chill ran up his spine when he remembered the contents of that place. People’s lives taken from them and put on display like some gruesome circus for one spoiled princess’ entertainment. Where the eyes that were so brutally stolen from his people would have sat if the Phantom Troupe hadn’t conned them. His hand retracted from the entrance. 

He debated on what to do. With ease he could have told Linssen to check it out since the security room was only across the entryway and down a short corridor. And he really hated that vault and all it stood for. Another issue was how much he wanted to find his bed. There was still whispering he couldn’t make out and long pauses where everything was dead silent. The gaps in between noises were disconcerting and sinister in a way. 

“Okay, Linssen, can you guys switch on the lights here in the foyer through the computers for me?” The blond clicked the electronic piece one more time as his mind settled on a choice. There was a confirmation from the other side and a few seconds later the light clicked on, casting rays off the bright marble. They burned his eyes somewhat, but he was thankful he didn’t go searching around for the switch in the dark; he would have turned back and left for sure if he moved away from the door.

Taking a deep breath, he willed himself forward. The metal of the handle was cold to the touch, like the corpses the treasures inside were hoarded from. _Just stop already, you’re only making it worse for yourself_ , his mind chided him. All he had to do was check on the girl and move along. She had the only key to the place but hadn’t put it to use by leaving it unlocked behind her. He swung the door open. With the need to hype himself so much to go in, he put more force into the movement than necessary so the groan of the door moving was louder and more sudden than he wanted.

The room was dark. It was the first thing he noticed and tried to adjust to the gloom of darkness just beyond his reach. Some light from behind him raced inside, illuminating everything directly in its path. There were papers scattered all around the desk on one side of the room and a few more that had flown a few metres into deeper shadows where things were harder to see. Everything else was in order, it’s usual polished self with not a speck of dust on anything. Neon supervised the cleaning of the room herself at least once a week.

Only Neon was out of place, standing by the desk with wide eyes and her robe creased and in disarray. One shoulder of the colourful garment was slipping down to reveal the thin silk of her pastel pink nightdress. Even her hair was falling out from the braid she spun it into and her bangs stuck up like she’d been messing with it. 

“Miss Neon? Are you, okay? Why are you sitting in the dark during the middle of the night?” Asked Kurapika. Seeing her again for the first time since they got home, Melody’s suggestion echoed in his head. She thought Neon had a crush on him. 

As soon as Melody had brought it up, there was an eruption of agreement from Basho and Linssen of how the conclusion made sense of Neon’s recent eccentricities. It stunned Kurapika into silence for several minutes and it was only when a cold sweat perforated his brow that he had snapped back into reality and told them it was ridiculous. Even if the girl was getting to be more social, there was no way that she’d developed that kind of interest in him. Aside from small talk, the two of them had barely made any conversation. Well... Maybe she tried to, but his side was curt and as laconic as he could get.

She stepped closer into the light and then he could see her face in better detail. Those same surprised eyes were red and irritated around the edges. Tiny drops of moisture clung to her eyelashes. Had she been crying? Her cheeks bore no glistening stains and Neon was rarely one to hold back from spilling them. Her face was also pale, giving her the appearance of a ghost. 

It took Neon a while to register he was there or respond but as soon as she did, some colour finally returned to her face as a much more pleasant red bloomed on her cheeks in opposition to the angry red around her eyes. He guessed that something embarrassed her, probably him walking in on whatever she was doing, and just to be safe he made no mention of her crying. While it was odd behaviour for her to hide away, if she wasn’t in danger then it wasn’t his business.

“Kurapika!” she exclaimed, “What are you doing here?! I thought your shift finished hours ago.”

Putting aside the desire to ask how she knew what time he came and went, Kurapika motioned with his head to the floors above “Mr. Nostrade’s... chat with me about the meeting today ran quite late.” A bitter part of him wanted to use the word ‘interrogation’ but quickly opted against it in present company. As soon as the words left his mouth, the brightness that returned to her face extinguished to pale white blanketing it once more.

“Oh did, did he, um, I-I,” She brought a hand to her mouth to pinch her lower lip with her thumb and index finger. Her shoulders sagged lower while her eyes flicked between him and the floor “I see- Then he already knows how it all went down.”

Kurapika’s eyebrows knitted together at the meek gestures of her reaction to the update. Even though he knew it was empty from the first overview, he still scanned the room again to make sure that there really wasn’t anyone else in there with her to make her act this way. Not a soul. Instead, the repulsive displays of body parts affronted him again, some of which were so far back the light didn’t touch them and they stood as lurking shapes in the dark. His frown deepened.

“I was just on my way out when the Operations Room told me they saw you out during the night. So I thought I’d check on you before leaving. If everything’s okay, I’ll let you get back to what you were doing.” He nodded his head to the area at large, trying not to look around much more. That only left the papers on the floor to stare at. A suspicion lay in his mind about what she’d been doing with all that. He wasn’t the one who personally informed her about her ability being gone, but Basho mentioned her reaction was a mass of hysteria and misery. Neon had stormed off and refused to move from her desk for hours while trying to summon her Lovely Ghostwriter. Is that what she was doing now?

“You’re going?” Neon stepped closer and Kurapika felt the overwhelming urge to step back. 

He turned around and began walking away “Yes, goodnight, Boss.”

But he took just a step when her small hand latched onto his elbow like a vice “Wait!” She said quickly and then, as he looked back at her in shock, added “Can you help me get back to my room?” 

“I can ask them to turn on the lights for you and have Linssen come get you.” He skillfully weaved his arm free and put more distance between them. Whatever she was up to, he wished to have no part in it and his fatigue was making the carefully constructed barriers he put up harder to maintain. His impatience was leaking through the defences of his blank face. 

One thing was for certain, Kurapika’s declaration of departure awakened some of the usual habits in the spoiled girl which were absent when he found her. She rolled her eyes at his excuse and approached him more firmly this time, hands on her hips “Oh come, you can spare five minutes, right? If Daddy can keep you for hours, then you should have no problem with me. Walk me up and I’ll leave you alone!”

_I wish that you would do so right now, you rotten princess_ , the thought sat on the edge of his mouth and almost slipped out. He didn’t understand how he was anymore qualified than Linssen to escort her through her _own_ house like she was some kind of five-year-old. No, even small children managed to scamper off on their own. This must have just been entertaining to her, to watch him suffer. He closed his eyes to block her pouting face from his sight and stop from blurting out something by accident “... Very well, Miss Neon, if you insist. Let’s go.”

Though her expression ironed out, there was a small glint of something in her face... Triumph? Excitement? _Sadism_? This girl was playing cruel with such innocent subtlety that it would challenge anyone to believe she wasn’t genuinely clueless about what an inconvenience she was being. He watched her hop up the stairs with more spirit than he had seen in the last few minutes and then stop to wait for him while he called his radio once again to ask Linssen to turn on the lights in the hallways leading back to her room. Her lack of grace in the dark during her escapades wasn’t a secret, so he found himself less than eager to waste more time being her guide. 

“So tomorrow...” Neon addressed him as he caught up and they began the trek to the second floor “I don’t know if Eliza’s let you guys know but she’s coming on the shopping trip tomorrow. She’s gonna leave early with the shopping before I go to meet Jennie. Can you afford to send someone with her and the stuff we buy?” 

Kurapika’s tired brain ran over the information sent to him by Eliza after dinner and nodded “She mentioned it. I’ll have Melody go back with her while we carry on to the next destination then,” Surprise appeared on Neon’s face and he cocked his head to one side “Is something the matter, Boss?”

“Uh, no, nothing,” She waved her hands in front of her to dismiss the question but there was still something on her face exposing that he’d somehow thrown her off. She fiddled with the ties of her nightgown during a long silence filled by the sounds of them climbing the staircase. They reached the landing for the second floor. It was then that she continued speaking “Does that mean you’ll be with me all day?”

He answered as seriously as his voice could muster at that time of night “That’s correct. Linssen will be resting after his night watch and Basho will rest for his shift tomorrow night while Melody and I escort you. Melody is already putting in a lot more hours than she should with how understaffed we are, so I think sending her home early with your attendant will give her a few hours’ rest. Also, if you will meet someone I’m unfamiliar with, I’d rather go myself and make my own judgements.” Not that he didn’t trust Melody’s. In fact, she probably had a better understanding of people than he did, but he was more comfortable in being able to act on his own instincts. 

“Hmm...” Neon hummed with a small shake of her head. Her voice was much softer, perhaps because they were walking past some of the rooms with sleeping occupants, when she mumbled. “As long as you guys aren’t exhausting yourselves.”

And who was the one tugging him around the house like a glorified nanny when he was supposed to be asleep already? The Boss thought she was an exception to her own guidelines. Her suggestion of exhaustion was enough to bring a yawn to the forefront. Trying to stifle it with all his might didn’t work, and the boy brought a fist to his mouth to cover it up as much as possible. Even through the watery eyes forced on him by the yawn, he was quick to look at his charge to gage her reaction to this action; he knew how much she hated him not listening to her and he wouldn’t put it past Neon to see this as him being bored by the conversation. 

To his surprise, she said nothing, simply looking forward as the corridor to her room came into view in this maze of a house. Now that he looked at her without her intense attention on him, the realisation that she looked better than she had down in the vault struck him, most of her natural colour back. But there was still a sense of weight to her movements and stature like something was weighing down on her. It reminded him of her standing in front of Trask’s door before they went in earlier with that aura of despondency. To add to that, the usual chatter that gushed out like a waterfall became clipped and sluggish. 

_Maybe I really should say something? She’s not being like herself again. Melody said that Neon’s heart is in a lot of conflict_ , he kept throwing glances at her from the corner of his eye as he thought on what to say. But that idea swiftly wrote itself off as soon as he comprehended that if he asked Neon and she confirmed that something was bothering her, it would be like admitting that Melody could also be right about Neon having feelings for him. An obstinate part of him growled that Melody was right about several things, except _that_.

Rather than acting on that, he threw some words out to fill her unnatural silence “If you need extra hands for the shopping tomorrow, Boss, I can see about getting some of the part-time staff brought along. There’s just nothing I can do about the guard situation, I’m afraid,” He heaved a sigh as stopped in front of Neon’s door “Maybe if whatever venture your father is planning pans out, we’ll be able to hire out more people.” 

Neon finally smiled in her usual manner as she pulled her door open and stepped inside. Leaning on it, she said “So even you don’t know all the nasty little details Dad plots, huh? Well, whatever, he’s always like that I guess. It looks like you’re more talkative at night, that’s nice to know. Goodnight, then.”

Kurapika’s lips tightened into a thin line and his eyebrows rose, but before he even opened his mouth, Neon was already closing the door with an airy giggle. The sound of her shuffling to her bed was the last thing he heard while something rooted him to the spot with bewilderment from her parting statement. He realised with a dawning horror that he spoke even more than her during that whole exchange. And he’d been the one who tried to keep the conversation going because it was already the norm to have her talking constantly while the words just bounced off him. And she’d caught him out on it!

“I’m so tired...” He grumbled with more petulance than he would have ever allowed anyone to see. To think he slipped up around Neon and that she was paying enough attention to his normal conduct to spot the difference. A small voice in his head whispered that maybe she actually had a special awareness for him as Melody said. Unlike the rest of the bodyguards, she remembered his name every single time almost from the start too. But why? Why him when they hardly knew each other, and he’d never given her any reason to? His own opinion of her was another matter, but he shivered at the notion of the bothersome and mortifying antics those kinds of feelings might entail. Again, he shook his head as it was hurting merely standing there in front of her door like an idiot after she’d gone “Yeah, I _definitely_ need to go to bed.”

* * *

The universe loved to mock him. 

“You don’t look so great.”

He hardly slept during the night even after crashing onto his bed. Chalking it up to being too tired and from overthinking too many things that day, Kurapika just spread out with his eyes closed. That left him with only a few hours of sleep when he finally drifted off. One sound gave him a rude awakening in the early hours of the morning. Basho’s fit of snoring. 

The man responsible, and also the origin of the statement about his condition, received a glare that he either missed or pretended to because he carried on speaking with a teasing lilt to his voice “Ah, bet you were up thinking about your admirer!” He chuckled as they loaded some weapons into the car, for emergencies, and took to waiting for the girl in question to arrive. 

“Talking about Miss Neon?” Linssen slid up beside them to lean on the car. If Kurapika looked bad, then Linssen was far worse. He was nursing a steaming coffee in his hands that he likely nabbed from the security lounge. Darkening circles hugged his eyes. No doubt he was thankful that with Neon awake and getting ready to leave, he could come off his shift and head to bed. Despite all this, a mischievous expression crossed his face as he said “Maybe our leader was just too happy after his midnight date with her last night.”

A guffaw of a laugh slipped from Basho’s mouth “No kidding?!”

That spurred Linssen on to quip “Yeah, they went a cute little late night stroll together.”

“Damn! You work fast, man,” Basho grinned and elbowed Kurapika in the side “So the princess really likes you, then? Did she tell you up front?”

He could feel it. Kurapika’s eyebrows were twitching, he was sure his coworkers could see it too. However, underneath the primary annoyance sat a hint of embarrassment too. It was the kind he’d felt if he messed up fighting moves when he’d first started training or when his friends used to laugh at him if he lost a game. When he was out of his depth and didn’t know what to do. Something he hadn’t experienced in a way like this in a long time. Give him murderous thieves and he could take them on without thinking. But he completely lost at the prospect of his Boss having a crush on him or even with the teasing from his colleagues. 

“I walked the Boss back to her room at her request. You’re both being a pain,” He collected his calm into a forced sigh to appear less aggravated than he was “Shouldn’t you both be resting, anyway?” If there was a slight gruffness to his voice, he didn’t mean for it to be there. 

Linssen nodded “Yup, just finished up, gonna hit the sack as soon as you guys leave. I just couldn’t resist the chance to rile you up a little” Though he spoke in a monotone, a crooked smile plastered on the man’s face. He appeared far too pleased with himself.

Basho barked another laugh “Woke up to chow down some breakfast when I saw you getting ready to head out so I thought I’d help. I’m gonna head back to bed after I’ve eaten so I can live through the dead shift tonight.” The man’s face twisted grimly as he thought of the coming evening. 

On any normal day, Kurapika would have some sympathy for the guy, knowing the long and dull hours of staying awake for the slight possibility that Neon might need help, but after their shenanigans he felt far less kind. His arms crossed loosely over each other and watched Melody hop down towards them with Eliza in tow. Though her face was lighter than it had been in weeks, Eliza still seemed unsure of herself and walked with slow steps.

Neon emerged from the house seconds later. She was far more dressed up than her previous trips and as she got closer, they all took notice of her wearing makeup which only made her eyes bigger and more prominent. Any trace of hesitancy or dejection from the previous night evaporated. The girl had a bounce to her step as she approached the car with a bright smile. At the sight of Melody and Kurapika’s attire, her eyes shone.

“You both wore the ties!” 

Melody offered a smile right back without missing a beat “Of course, Boss. They’re lovely, thank you so much. Like you said, you picked out something that suited all of us.”

“I know, right? I’m really the best. You guys look so much more impressive now.”

Right. What else was anyone expecting her to say? The self-satisfied smugness creeping on her face was enough to understand she was more happy with her own decisions than the opinions of her employees. Undaunted, Melody’s face showed no sign of displeasure at the comment and Kurapika still had enough self-control not to roll his eyes in his tired state. 

Basho leaned in and whispered, “See? She even got all dressed up for you...” Linssen must have also heard that because he started snickering into his coffee cup, the second the words left the burly poet’s mouth. Quick as lightning, Kurapika’s hands shot out from their folded position and pinched both their arms out of exasperation.

“You must wear yours too, you get that?” Neon’s lower lip was jutting out as she squinted her eyes between Linssen and Basho. She was standing far enough away not to hear what they were talking about. She must have guessed they were laughing at her gift and was unhappy with their reaction. The two older guards gasped and explained that she was misunderstanding them, that they liked the gifts too, which left Kurapika grateful for the attention diverted from him.

“Yes. And they should both be heading off now. Are you ready to go, Miss Neon?” Kurapika proceeded to ignore Basho and Linssen as he nodded his head to Neon. 

“Yup! Looks like Eliza’s already settled in the car already and we’re not waiting for anybody else.”

* * *

“Kurapika, what do you think of this one?” 

For what felt like the fifth time that hour alone, Neon wandered over to him with a handful of items to ask his thoughts. It took his vision up by watching the constant stream of people coming in and out of the store while Melody watched the two shopping girls and, every time, she almost startled him. With his concentration broken, Kurapika could sense an uneasiness creeping into his bones. Being in an area this overrun with people and so many obstacles around left them more exposed than he was comfortable with. 

Now she stood in front of him clutching a bag so small, he doubted even a wallet would fit in it. The object glittered in garish stones of bright green and a golden clasp shaped like a heart. For a second the temptation to turn away and not even bother to answer appealed to him, but that would result in her poking him further. The quickest way to get rid of her was to respond, even if it was the first thing that came to mind.

“I suppose you could give someone a mild concussion if you hit them hard enough with it.”

Neon’s mouth hung open while Kurapika pulled his own tighter together. Damn. It sounded even stranger when he said it out loud. Maybe staying silent would have been the better option. But then he heard a soft giggle. Neon held a hand over her mouth while her eyes creased up and she stifled it from becoming a full on laugh in the middle of the store. He’d heard her laugh half-heartedly at something someone would say to her before and even cackle at an inside joke between her and Eliza, but never really such an innocent and carefree one. It made her sound much more like the teenage girl she was meant to be.

When she coughed back the outburst, she said “That’s true. Didn’t think about that. I guess it is kinda gaudy if you think there are enough stones on it to use as a weapon. Why am I not surprised that’s the first thing you thought of, Mr. Constantly On-Duty?” She sighed “I thought Eliza would like the clasp and I know she likes green. Hmm, oh well, back to the drawing board.”

She didn’t even give Kurapika the chance to retort to the nickname as she doubled back to a meandering shop assistant to give back the bag. They struck up a conversation, leaving Kurapika to stare at Meon for a few moments. The reason she’d been coming over was to ask someone’s thoughts on a gift for Eliza since she couldn’t ask the woman in question. Her pestering made a lot more sense now. But her kind gesture didn’t change the fact that she was distracting him more than necessary. At least, he pondered, she found amusement in his opinion instead of getting angry.

It wasn’t long before she came to him again. Unlike before, her hands were empty, and she pointed a casual thumb over her shoulder with down turned eyebrows.

“Eliza’s getting pretty tired and my lunch date with Jennie is gonna be soon too, so I think it’s time to send her home.” Neon chewed her lip. It was similar to what she had done yesterday, but whether it accredited to having to stop her browsing or separating from her friend, he didn’t know. 

* * *

About half an hour after Melody and Eliza departed, taking the few shopping bags from an unsuccessful haul with them, the remaining duo searched for the cafe this Jennie girl agreed to meet Neon at. The place was far less busy than the rest of the mall with open and sleek designs to give the place a very modern appearance. Aesthetics aside, Kurapika appreciated it for the utility. Suspicious people were far easier to spot like this. Too bad it also left them feeling too exposed. Wasn’t there an area in this entire place that was a good balance of both open and enclosed?

“Oh, this place is so boring,” Neon grimaced just beside him as she studied all the details “Pop in some plants at least, give it a little colour. You’re a fancy cafe, not a prison cafeteria.” 

“Oh. my. God! Neon, is that you?” A voice rose above the chatter of the small crowd. It made Kurapika cringe a little since now everyone in the place knew their name. He supposed it was paranoid to expect an attack just waiting for them in a random cafe because of a meeting planned in a rush just two days prior, but he wanted to be ready for anything. Perhaps Mr. Nostrade’s habits were rubbing off on him in the most unwelcome way.

Neon peered around for the source to see a brunette girl half standing from her seat and waving them down. Even from her posture, it was obvious she was quite tall, much taller than Neon, enhanced by the high heels she wore. A wave of understanding crashed over Kurapika over why Neon looked fancier than she usually did; this girl dressed in elegant fabrics from head to toe with expensive jewellery to match. But she wasn’t like the over-done older ladies that prowled some of the stores they had been to that day. 

“Jennie!” Neon clapped her hands together and bounded over so fast that Kurapika didn’t even have time move. With wide eyes, he followed the girl, trying to pull his face into an intimidating frown. Neon was already sliding into a seat when he reached the pair and she grinned “You look amazing! Did we make you wait? I don’t wanna make you late, you’re probably busy.”

He wasn’t sure if he should stand or sit. It might have been too personal to sit with them, but standing alone in the middle of the cafe was even more awkward. He instead settled down at the small table right next to theirs and watched closely. Jennie Talister was a couple of years older than Neon and Kurapika recognised her distinctive sharp face straight away from the photo provided by the background search performed on her. Indecisive expressions occasionally coloured her otherwise refined and cordial air. As another daughter of a rich family, there was nothing out of the ordinary about her personal information save for one shining achievement. Despite her young age, Jennie already spent the better part of three years as the personal assistant to one of the top designers in the city, if not the region itself.

Waving her hands to shoo away the notion, Jennie’s glance directed to Kurapika briefly before she answered “Don’t be silly! I’m a little early, that’s all. Mr. Marino’s a stickler for sure, but even he knows there’s a limit to how hard he can work the part-timers before they collapse. He let us break sooner than I thought.” 

Neon’s shoulders relaxed a little “That’s good,” Then she peeked at the heels Jennie wore, glittering with a few rhinestones under the light “Are those Galder?! From the next spring collection? They haven’t even been walked yet!” Kurapika understood those words individually but strung together left a vague impression in his mind. 

Jennie, on the other hand, seemed delighted “She’s got great eyesight! I suppose you saw the teaser images he released? Yup, spring Galder. Galder arranged for five pairs from the female collection and five from the male as promotion for the new line before the show. Mr. Marino’s got one of the male pair too and he insists we wear them while attending the next few outings. I’m just breaking them in over the next few days.” Her smile grew bigger at Neon’s gasp of awe. But then, her eyes darted to Kurapika once more and lingered this time as she spoke “So, um, this is...? Your boyfriend, maybe?” She offered the suggestion. 

Faster than lightning, Neon’s cheeks coloured a soft red like the previous night when he found her in the vault. His posture slipped at the term, mouth dropping open and that same uncomfortable cold dread pooling in his chest and the back of his neck. While he struggled to compose himself to politely correct her, Neon beat him to the punch and yelped out that she was wrong.

“He’s my bodyguard. The head, actually. Dad’s wanted me to have people around me all the time for years now. I’m sorry, I should have said so from the beginning.” The fluster receded, and she placed her hands in her lap after Jennie chuckled and apologised for misunderstanding. Kurapika nodded as the sole response, grateful that a waitress came by to take their orders. He ordered himself a strong coffee to ward away any potential sleepiness but the adrenaline of being on constant alert for both threats and also Neon’s unpredictable interference all day was now racing through his system.

The same polite and formal mannerisms from her meeting with Trask wove into Neon’s persona as she chit-chatted with Jennie. The single difference was the glimmer in her face at seeing someone from so long ago. During his research, Kurapika discovered that before Neon developed her Nen ability, the two girls were fast friends in childhood and visited each other often. Contact between them reduced and eventually stopped in full after Mr. Nostrade began tightened the measures in keeping Neon safe. There was logic in her wanting to reconnect with Jennie if her desire to socialise more was growing. He could think of no other reason for it. 

They discussed the years apart in brief overviews, things that Kurapika already dug up on the girl himself. Neon asked a lot of questions about Jennie’s family and her life working for the designer, Marino. In fact, she asked a lot about Jennie’s personal life but skirted over many of the details of her own, barely even mentioning her father or the fortune-telling. He phased out the conversation on the last topic since it moved over to covering Neon’s body part collection.

“I’ve got to say Neon, you’re.. um, you turned out more... eccentric than I ever thought you would,” Jennie said over the last bite of red velvet cake on her plate. The wording came out cobbled and Kurapika wondered if she hadn’t meant ‘bizarre’ or ‘deluded’. But there wasn’t any disgust on her face, just the regular pensiveness he’d noted earlier. “I never considered you’d become so mysterious and detached from all of us. You were such a Mama’s Girl when we were little. I thought you’d grow up to be her carbon copy since you always followed and mimicked her like a shadow! Is that where the fortune-telling came from? I remember she used to be big on tarot readings.”

Neon’s fingers drummed on the teacup in her hands, an unlady-like motion. She didn’t seem to notice as she slipped into a haze, staring into the dark swirling of the tea leaves “I forgot,” Her voice rasped like something was stuck in it “Yeah, she used to do those for us all the time, didn’t she? And she taught us to read tea leaves too. I always drank so much tea, it scared the nanny because she thought I’d start throwing up. I think she even lectured mum about it a few times.” The raspiness turned to a wet and weak chuckle.

To her credit, Jennie picked up on the nostalgic mood and rolled with it “That’s obviously why you were so much better at it than me. Or maybe you just had a better imagination. You always did. And you were braver too,” She shook her head with a much more child-like grin than the formal smile from before “Like the time your mum gave us a project to make paper dresses. You decided there was no rule about adding more than that so you tore up the flowers on the front lawn. I mean, the dress turned out pretty, but the poor gardener nearly fainted.”

Neon beamed as her eyebrows raised “Wait, weren’t you the one who won that challenge, though? My dress was too heavy from all those flowers and fell apart. You were definitely better at all the technical stuff so you always ended up making stuff well,” A sigh escaped her mouth and her elbow propped on the table to cradle her chin in her hand “We both watched her like hawks when she made clothes, but the techniques took me forever to get down.”

Mrs. Nostrade was a topic not often brought up around the household. He’d only ever heard the old maids mention her when they cleaned and the guards who’d worked there the longest tell long-winded stories over dinner. Even Linssen didn’t know too much about her since they had hired him on after her death. The only other one who knew her for a long time was Dalzollene. Both the father and daughter hadn’t discussed her name in any company, not even between themselves. 

What he knew of Ella Nostrade was that she was a well-loved woman, pleasant to everyone she met and much more playful than her aristocratic looks denoted, if the gossip between the cleaners could be believed. Many of the family portraits existed because she’d requested to have them painted. And many saw her as a beauty that artists enjoyed capturing on canvas. Her taste in the arts was also why a lot Light Nostrade’s early soirees were so successful. But above her enjoyment for culture and the supernatural, acquired from her own grandmother apparently, was her love for the world of fashion. He’d heard that she used to have her own workshop and boutique that she spent most of her free time at, accompanied often by her daughter. Ella’s business had even become a success, set to become a hit only a few years after she’d opened it. Sadly, her premature death left it unfinished and the heartbroken husband didn’t know what to do. So he closed down the entire thing and left the building housing the workshop and boutique to collect dust. 

“Ah, she was so glam,” Jennie exhaled, eyes bright with memory and admiration “People always wanted to know what she’d be wearing next. My mum asked me to get the scoop before anyone else so many times. I don’t think I’d be where I am today if it wasn’t for her; she made me love clothes so much.”

The mention of Jennie’s career snapped Neon back to reality. Her back straightened, hands taking their former place back in her lap “That’s right, sorry Jennie, I got so carried away, I almost forgot why I asked you here today.”

“Hmm... You said you wanted to ask a favour,” The brunette nodded “You don’t have to be so stiff about asking, you know. When we were kids, you’d just up and demand stuff from me! So what can I do?”

Neon’s shoulders and arms shuffled a little to which he assumed she was fiddling with her fingers under the table. There was another minute of silence, Jennie looking like she wanted to repeat her question and Neon’s brows shifting restlessly. A favour? He admitted that he didn’t bother to ask for more details about the nature of this get together other than who it was, but the guard wasn’t expecting anything more than Neon whittling away at her boredom during the day.

“Can you get me to meet Mr. Marino?” As soon as she’d said it, Jennie choked on the coffee she was sipping and grabbed a napkin to wipe her mouth. Alarm painted Neon’s face at the result of her request so she threw in another thing “It doesn’t have to be long! I just want to talk to him for a little while.”

Jennie continued to dab at her mouth. Only after being done, did she speak “That’s pretty sudden. What’s brought this on? Well, I mean, I can ask him,” She paused “But let me do that in a couple of days when he’s in a better mood. Like I said, we’ve all been stressed with an upcoming deadline.”

“Thanks, Jennie. I appreciate it since I’m asking out of the blue. Let me know as soon as you can.”

Kurapika stared hard at his Boss, the most he’d looked at her all day, while he tried to figure out what prompted that idea. There was no reason for the daughter of a former mafia associate or a fortune-teller to deal with a high-end designer. Kurapika had less information on Marino, but there was nothing to suspect affiliations with underworld connections. Could it have been the passing whim of the princess? She had an interest in clothing, for certain, and might be a fan of the man. Or perhaps it had to do with her mother’s passions?

“Well, you can pay me back by seeing me again. Oh, shoot!” Jennie brought her wrist closer to peer at her watch “Speaking of Mr. Marino, I’d better run and get back to work. If we want him to agree, I’d best stay on his good side.”

Stating her gratitude once more, Neon watched as Jennie gathered her things and bid them goodbye, promising to call as soon as she had an answer. It wasn’t until she left that Neon slumped lower in her seat and rubbed her face. The contentment of the pleasant conversation remained but now that Kurapika looked closer, he saw the makeup concealing light bags under her eyes. She’d also slept poorly by the looks of her... If at all.

The urge to ask why sat on the tip of his tongue. No. It wasn’t his business. Not really. The less he spoke to Neon, the less likely she was to pick up on his true personality in the way she did the night before. He cleared his throat, sipped the last of the coffee as fast as he could, before asking “Is that everything, Miss Neon? Are you ready to go home?”

The way her demeanor changed when he asked troubled him from the get go. That sensation grew in strength when, in a melodic tone, she said “Not quite, there’s one more place I wanna go first.”


	4. Kurapika

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kurapika makes a revelation about Neon's feelings and responds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to apologise that this chapter's coming out so late. Unfortunately sickness and the real life work overran my life a litte over the last week. Work's settled down a little but I still have sick brain so if this chapter sounds a little weird, it's most likely that. I KNOW that there's parts of this chapter I'll want to edit later but I've spent so long staring at this right now that I thought it'd be better to just post it. While real life takes priority, I still want to give you guys fun and interesting chapters since I'm invested in this and I love and appreciate all the responses I've gotten so far. You guys are the best and I hope you still enjoy this update despite the lateness!

Kurapika’s initial instincts proved correct for him to be apprehensive. He knew it. Neon was up to something.

When they left the cafe, she daringly grabbed him by the sleeve and weaved through the larger crowds milling about like a herd through all the stores. His eyes were wide, and he kept repeating questions about where they were going and what she was doing. But his protests fell on deaf ears because their owner was too busy dodging oncoming people with more lithe movements than he’d ever known her capable of. All the while, she hummed a tune that he couldn’t quite make out over the din of the mall. 

“Boss, this isn’t-“ He exclaimed, ready to give her a full lecture about how this could be detrimental to her safety, if he had to. However, her sudden stop cut him off, and he stumbled beside her. He actually stumbled. Not from a fight or training, but because of a girl taking him so by surprise within the space of a few minutes. The tips of his ears prickled with heat when he thought about what his trainers and friends would say if they knew that. He thanked whatever gods there were that his ears were hidden under his hair so no one else would see. 

From her spot, Neon’s gaze planted on something in front of her “There it is.” It was a vendor’s cart decorated in a rainbow of pastel colours selling tea, coffee and sweet treats. Many children were being dragged away by exhausted looking mothers, while others grinned in victory as they walked off with something they wanted from the cart. 

“Boss, if you wanted dessert, why didn’t you just order more from the cafe?” He asked, tugging his sleeve free. 

Neon huffed, “From a place that boring? No way! If I remember right, this place does amazing ice cream.” She must have been satisfied with her answer because she said nothing else and approached the cart with the same grace she’d displayed while dodging all the people to get there. Where was it in her usual movements?

The middle-aged vendor kept the same smile plastered on his face when he served them. It was hard to tell whether it was genuine. While Neon’s eyes raced through the different ice cream flavours, Kurapika kept glancing around them but met only the curious eyes of children and even a few mothers who stared the young man in a finely fitted suit. He definitely stood out of place in front of all the bright colours of the cart. 

“... or maybe this one? Coffee? What do you think Kurapika?” Just as her voice was filtering into his ears, she somehow got a hold of his sleeve again. His head whipped around and he saw Neon’s face blinking back at him with large eyes and an expectant look.

His brow creased. Was she talking to him again? He sighed “I’m sorry, Miss Neon, could you repeat that?”

The simple, passive expression she’d been wearing disappeared in a heartbeat as she pouted “Ah, so you weren’t listening to me. Is it really that hard?” Kurapika prepared to drown her ranting out once more until he heard her grumble out her initial question “I was asking you which ice cream you wanted? Maybe coffee flavoured since you’re so seriously out of it. And maybe a cup of actual coffee to boot. Or maybe that’s too much, I’ll get you a strong tea instead. But then coffee ice cream and tea might taste weird together... “

It was Kurapika’s turn to stare at her. He was aware of his mouth hanging ajar. Everything took its time to register. The questions made sense in his head, he understood what she was asking. He couldn’t fathom why, though. 

“No, wait, Miss Neon, you don’t need to buy me any-“

“I’m getting us both something. Just make your mind up already.”

“No, really-“

“Okay, fine. I’ll choose then,” Neon whispered furiously, pulling out some money as soon as she spotted the ‘cash only’ sign by the register. She hummed to the vendor “Two green teas and we’ll have two scoops each of peanut butter and the sweet lime ice cream. Actually, no; make the peanut butter ice cream just one scoop since I’ve already had cake.”

The only thing that he could do was stand by and watch with helpless eyes as she ordered. _She didn’t even listen to a word I said. And I’m the one not paying attention? What is she playing at_? He tried to mould his face back into some semblance of neutrality when Neon was swaying back and forth with excitement. He was certain they looked like quite the contrast; the slightly irritated and confused man in a suit and the bouncing young woman in the silky pink, long button down dress who was picking up the things she ordered with a huge grin.

“Oh, don’t worry about that, keep it.” Neon gestured with her head to the change the man was giving her. A new wave of frustration washed over the blond. The girl wasn’t in a position to be acting like she had limitless amounts of money to throw around, even if it was some meager change from a dessert cart. However, the man running it looked even more delighted and his tired eyes lit up as he wished them a good day. 

After unceremoniously shoving the lime ice cream and green tea into his hands, Neon took her own order and walked away. It left Kurapika to trail after her in his dazed state, still not being able to say anything. He couldn’t make sense of why she dragged him off to this place and why she was so insistent on getting him something. Setting aside that Neon wasn’t known for her generosity, it should have been enough when he’d politely turned down her offer. The most ridiculous part was that he’d been so taken by surprise that he barely even argued against her. Doubtless, he would kick himself for it later. 

It took Neon a few seconds to figure out where she wanted to sit to devour her newly gained treats and, this time, she didn’t ask Kurapika for his opinion. A bench surrounded by different greenery sat like a small oasis in the middle of one walkway. By some miracle, there was no one sitting on it, so Neon made a dash for it. With a quiet scoff, settling back down from the oddity that just occurred, he followed her and they both sat down. 

Neon wasted no time and dug her spoon into the cup of ice cream, coloured somewhere between gold and brown. His own was a vivid shade of green, so bright it looked artificial. A neon colour. He frowned at his own choice of wording. 

“Wow, it’s just as good as last time!” Neon wiggled in her seat after taking another bite of the frozen scoop. It gave her the appearance of a child for a second, far too excited by something as mundane as ice cream. When she reached for tea beside her, Neon looked at Kurapika and his items. She said nothing for a moment, bringing her front teeth to drag along her bottom lip. After several more seconds of silence, him beginning to feel uncomfortable because of that constant intensity in her eyes, she said, “You should eat yours too otherwise the ice cream’ll melt and the tea’s gonna get cold.”

It was a struggle to keep his features even when she refused to look away. He placed the tea down to swirl the green substance that was softening and contemplated whether he should eat it. Kurapika sighed, “Miss Neon, you didn’t need to buy this for me.” He wasn’t her friend, not even her guest, and the gesture came off even more forced when he already refused it.

“Do you not like sweet things?” Neon’s breathing jumped a little, just enough to notice, and she was fidgeting again. If he didn’t know any better, he could have guessed that she was nervous. The thought threw his mind back to her in the vault, when she seemed like a different person. He also remembered how the change in her atmosphere vexed him. Without thinking much more about it, concerned he would change his mind, he brought the spoon to his lips and took a small bite. An explosion of sugar coated his tongue. But a pleasant sour tingle that wasn’t too strong followed it.

“I’m not opposed to them,” He placed the spoon back in the cup and picked up the warm tea instead, taking a sip. This was much more satisfactory as the bitterness of the tea mixed with warmth traveled down his throat. Knowing that the weather would soon turn fouler, he imagined having this kind of tea at the end of each day to warm his spirits “I just prefer things that are more savoury.”

Suddenly, he wasn’t prepared for it, Neon beamed a smile so bright it could supply light to the entire mall “Okay, I’ll keep that in mind for next time!”

The sip of tea he’d been taking to distract himself from her reaction caused him to choke a little when she spoke. Covering it up quite smoothly, he wiped his mouth but said nothing while Neon turned back to her own treats, scrunching her nose at the tea and mumbling about needing more sugar. _Why? What ‘next time’? Why are you putting any thought into this_? He stared into the ripples of green tea in the cup. The overwhelming urge to gulp it all down and leave as soon as possible ran through his mind. 

* * *

Thankfully, Neon plowed her way through her single scoop and only drank a little tea before declaring she was done and ready to go home. Having eaten a few bites until his ice cream turned to soup, Kurapika binned his items with much gratitude at being able to leave. 

The journey back home, however, plagued him with replays of Neon’s recent actions and the haunting words Melody spoke from the day before. The more he paired the two together, the more it clicked that Melody was likely right. He was aware that Neon was speaking again, but he put even more effort into blocking her out than usual. Pretending she wasn’t there wouldn’t solve anything, he knew that; he wasn’t a child. Deciding what to do now that he implanted the thought into his head wasn’t a walk in the park, either. Did people openly address this sort of thing? Should he just leave it be in case he was making a big deal out of nothing?

Kurapika’s feet touched the gravel as he climbed out after Neon. This time, she stood waiting for him to follow her instead of running off like the previous day. The car’s engine spluttered to life again behind them, and the weight of it rolled across the stones. If he would ask his Boss about this, there wasn’t a better time than that moment. Taking a deep breath, he spoke up just before she started walking, “Boss, can I have a word please?”

“Huh?” The girl remained still, her foot lifted off the ground. 

“Um,” Kurapika carefully reached out for her forearm to pull her to the side, cringing; he’d never really fumbled for words in front of her before. That likely had to do with the fact that he rarely spoke more than a sentence to her and the topics never broached outside of her personal safety. He let go before she could say anything on the action and carried on speaking “This might seem like a... an odd question. But I need to know something.”

“Uh-huh,” Neon squinted and her feminine features scrunched up “Well, for you to get an answer, I need to hear a question.”

There was no more stalling, the dread swirled in his gut again, but he had to ask her and get it over with “Miss Neon, the way you’ve been acting... Are you, maybe, interested in me?” He felt ridiculous even saying it. Regardless of what the truth was, he felt like a fool in general; he must have seemed so arrogant assuming something like that even with her odd behaviour. It was still better to get this over with than to let his worries swell over time.

Neon tilted her head to the side. Her eyes were still a little narrowed, and the question processed through her face. Eventually, head still tilted, she smiled, “Oh, you mean if I find you attractive?” He gulped and suddenly wanted to be as far away from her as possible. He watched her hands clap together as she said, “Of course! I totally like you!”

He was certain a powerful attack had hit him; his knees shook, the same ice flooded his blood and his stomach felt as if it would spill its contents any second. He backed up a step and exclaimed, “Wait, really?!” Even after his suspicions, to hear the admission so casually was surreal somehow. 

“Yeah,” Neon nodded eagerly, oblivious to his reaction “I mean, I don’t get how this whole thing goes. Like was I supposed to tell you, hint at it, ignore it or whatever. But now that you figured it out, that saves me a lot of trouble. So what’s next? Do I need to ask you out or do you? All the movies and books do it differently.”

Faster than light, Kurapika’s hands flew up as a barrier between them and waved violently, “Nothing! Nothing’s next. Why would there be anything ‘next’?”

Her excitement dropped, and their eyes connected. He could see the question in them, almost on the tip of her tongue. But he didn’t want to hear anymore. The connection of their eyes broke when he swerved his down to the ground. The sickness in his stomach threatened to push up again as he understood the severity of why he was feeling this way. His clan’s eyes; even if he ignored how Neon wasn’t his type, whatever that was, the one thing that couldn’t be dismissed was the fact she wanted ownership of the Kurta eyes. Associating with her too much caused guilt to stir in his heart. So, how could he even consider something like dating her?

“Boss, I don’t-this is very-I don’t understand how this happened,” He spat out quickly before she could ask him anything “You don’t even know me. I don’t think I’ve given you any sign that I saw you as more than my employer. Anything beyond that would be inappropriate. You’ve completely misunderstood something along the way or you’re mistaken about how you feel.”

While he caught his breath, he glanced up again to see that Neon’s expression didn’t change. The blue in her eyes shined brightly, and they were still creased up like she was trying to decipher a question on a test. Any moment, he was expecting her to burst out with anger or demand him to change his mind. The thought she’d get upset slipped from his mind as his emotions jumped in first and, now, he was preparing to deal with the fallout. 

But her lips pressed into a line and she leaned her head back to look up at the mansion, “Oh. I see.” She stared for a long time, back completely straight. Finally, she turned around and walked her normal route back into the building. 

Kurapika could only watch the Nostrade heiress’ retreating back with a gaping mouth.

* * *

“What?” He examined the slight exasperation in Melody’s face. 

They were on a break in the security lounge, waiting for Basho to come in for his night shift and Kurapika took the opportunity of the room being empty to explain the day’s earlier events to the one person he knew wouldn’t hound him about it afterwards. He was unsurprised that she didn’t gloat when he confirmed that she’d been right. However, he was taken aback by how she now looked at him after he told her about his rejection of Neon. 

“I can’t believe you said that to her, Kurapika!” Melody said. She was pinching the bridge of her nose, and her protruding teeth chewed on her lip.

A wave of defensiveness roared up in Kurapika at her statement, “What do you mean? I couldn’t let her go on thinking I might feel the same way!” His whisper rose a little in urgency. After she entered the house, Neon had gone to find Eliza again and Kurapika took his usual journey to the lounge. They’d seen on the cameras that Neon only left her room for a quick dinner, but then rushed back. Kurapika watched her make the whole trip since her lack of retaliation against him was out of character. 

Melody sighed “It’s not what you feel, it’s how you told her,” The older girl rubbed her cheek, thinking about how to explain it to him “The way you rejected her made it sound like she was in the wrong for how she felt. You can’t just tell a girl she’s mistaken about her own feelings, especially after I told you how messed up everything is in her head right now.”

“Exactly!” Kurapika snapped his fingers “That’s why she might be mistaken. If, in all that mess, she mistook some kind of first glance attraction for something more, then she’s definitely wrong.”

He could see that Melody was trying to be patient with him, “But you still can’t just tell a person whether they’re meant to feel a certain way or not. Take you for example; there are probably some people who could present some very logical reasons why you shouldn’t pursue your clan’s eyes or the Phantom Troupe. But I don’t think you would appreciate their advice or the fact that they’re telling you how to feel.”

“Those are two very different things.” He could feel his hands curling into fists. The teenage fancies of a spoiled girl and his quest for vengeance were as different as night and day. 

“I know... But that doesn’t change the fact that you can’t control how people feel.”

The hands he’d been gripping loosened as her voice became gentle and the usual calm smile found its way to Melody’s face. What she said made sense. He admitted that his response was impulsive, and he didn’t consider what he was saying. That same feeling of being out of his comfort zone was still surging through him both when she confessed and even now.

After several more minutes of his silence and refusal to verbally concede to his hasty actions, Melody said “You should apologise.”

“What?” His head turned to look at her again so fast that he was in danger of giving himself whiplash. 

“Not only were you in the wrong for talking to her like that but she’s also our Boss,” Melody explained “If she stews about this for too long and realises that she’s very offended without you even trying to say you’re sorry, she might decide to fire you. She’s impulsive too, you know that.”

The chains on his hand rattled as he ran it through his hair, “It doesn’t bother me if she does. If you remember, I was thinking about leaving recently, anyway.” Having said that, he was unsure of where he could go or do if Neon decided to let him go. He had no connections to the underworld apart from the Nostrade family right now, and their remaining threads were very weak. There was the option of hunting down other auctions or private sellers, but without money or resources, it would be almost impossible.

Neon definitely wouldn’t be above getting rid of him since she couldn’t get what she wanted. _What, exactly, did she want from me, anyway? It’s not like I took the time to ask her_ , The blond young man halted any wandering thoughts as to what Neon’s desires could be. On top of the uncomfortable distaste such thoughts left him with, he also felt the tips of ears burning. Forgetting that he was a teenager, even if an older one, Kurapika growled in frustration at the immature thinking he’d almost gone down. This whole situation was making him stoop down to levels he didn’t want to. Embarrassment, confusion and rejecting somebody were the complete opposites of the calm, focused and righteous path he envisioned for himself.

Melody added nothing more to the discussion apart from a look that hinted at her knowing his discomfort. On some level, he understood that she still wanted him to apologise, knew that he didn’t have anywhere else to go at the moment. But he was a stubborn guy too. If Neon fired him, he’d deal with that bridge when he got to it. Maybe he could even convince Mr. Nostrade to let him stay, since the man wasn’t bowing to Neon’s every whim like she was his golden child anymore.

* * *

Oddly enough, no one saw much of Neon over the next few days. Since there were no more meetings to attend, hers or the ones her father ordered her to, everyone expected more shopping trips. And Kurapika was readying himself for the backlash of his actions. But the majority of Neon’s time was spent locked away in her room. Since there were no cameras in the actual bedroom for her own privacy, they didn’t know what she was doing. Even the regular mansion staff occasionally whispered that it was strange. The Neon everyone knew was always raising some kind of fuss and tended to go stir crazy being on her own for too long. 

Her nightly escapades to the Vault still continued, like clockwork; Kurapika spotted her during his own night watch. Unlike the night before meeting Jennie, this time he left her alone, not eager to be with her by himself. They hadn’t spoken more than greetings since then. It unnerved him that she had no specific reaction to seeing him save for the flickers of joy or panic he might have imagined. No mention of his poor rebuff reached his ears. In fact, it was almost like she was too busy for him. Was she just waiting for the right time, when he finally let down his guard? The whole thing made him more tense. 

By far the strangest actions Neon took were her wandering off into the old parts of the house. On the third floor was the old wing Mr. and Mrs. Nostrade used. Like many things associated with his wife, Mr. Nostrade had the entire section closed down and left alone while he moved his bedroom closer to his office. Most of the rooms in that part of the house were either off limits or allowed to be ignored. Like the vault and any private rooms, there were only cameras in the hallways leading in and out, and around the windows outside. Kurapika considered telling Light about Neon going in there, but Melody made the good point that Neon didn’t need anymore ammunition to use against him right now. 

During the week, with every day that passed, with every atypical reaction from Neon, Kurapika grew more wary. The guards, the others who cared enough to notice at least, even asked Eliza what was going on. But the young woman was just as confused as they were. She’d barely seen Neon outside of greeting her. If she really would not do anything to him, there was the possibility of her hurting herself. Neon wasn’t prone to turning her pain or frustration inwards. Everyone knew that. Nothing about this whole mess was normal, however. If Kurapika’s harsh words added to Neon’s brewing turmoil, perhaps anything was possible for her now. Melody approached him a few more times to apologise. Maybe it was time to listen. 

He saw his chance the day after he made up his mind; in the evening, Neon knocked on the door of the staff lounge. It was late enough after dinner that many of the regular guards were on their shifts or retired to the dorm. Basho arrived not too long ago for his night shift, early for once. Melody and Kurapika were chatting on their usual spot on the sofa, their primary topic of discussion being the rotations for the next week. The knock on the door jostled all of them. None of the guards bothered to knock. 

Neon’s head popping through the door left them aghast. She took no notice of it and spoke, “Ah! Kurapika, you’re here, that’s great! I was hoping you’d be around. Is it too late to ask about arranging an outing tomorrow? Doesn’t matter, it’s important so try to figure something out, okay? I don’t care what time we leave but I need to visit the building Dad’s giving away to Mr. Trask.” Immediately, she whipped her head around and left.

“Tomorrow, wait-“ Kurapika began to say, cut off simultaneously by her leaving and Melody nudging his side. With a slight motion of her head, unnoticed by Basho, who was still staring awestruck at the door, he understood that Melody wanted him to go after her. Groaning, he nodded in agreement and stood to follow Neon. She was already nearing the staircase in the foyer by the time he caught up to her.

“Boss,” He said, getting her attention. Neon twirled around to look at him with a curious glance, “Can I have a moment?”

She walked closer to him, “Is this about tomorrow? Like I said, I know it’s last minute. You can still pull something together though.”

“We probably can,” Kurapika acknowledged in defeat. He didn’t want to talk about their personal issue in view of the cameras, even if they had no sound. Unfortunately, the closest room that was private enough was the Vault. Did he really want to go in there? That place induced so many negative emotions in him, he doubted he’d be able to talk to her like normal. He might even make things worse. Rubbing his temples, he added, “Is there somewhere we can talk... privately?”

His stomach dropped when she glanced at the Vault and he wondered if something on his face gave him away; as soon as she looked at him, her eyes softened. She smiled and jerked her head in the front door’s direction, “Let’s take a walk through the gardens, then. A little air won’t kill me and you don’t usually ask me for things. But only for a few minutes. I’m kind of busy.”

The gardens on the sides and back of the house still had cameras. Strategically, these were placed to cover larger areas at the expense of minimising the details. Even if people saw them walking together, that was all they would be able to make out. Some areas that had no risk of a break in were completely free of surveillance. And, most importantly, it wasn’t the Vault. He agreed quickly, and they both exited through the front and descended the stairs to walk the path that led to a fountain on the mansion’s right side. 

“So, what else do you have to say?” Neon tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. There was no animosity in her voice that he picked up. 

He cleared his throat, realising that he didn’t even have time to format out his apology. With his friends it would have been simple. Neon wasn’t his friend. They weren’t close in the slightest. _Just be polite about it, like a job interview_ , he thought and wanted to roll his eyes. This whole thing was about keeping his job. And also about Neon’s mental well-being, he admitted.

“I wanted to say I’m sorry for how I spoke to you the other day, Miss Neon,” His hands clenched and unclenched by his side as they walked “My rejection of you was too abrupt and rude. It was a mistake to tell you how you are supposed to feel. I’m... flattered that you’ve taken an interest in me. The shock of how sudden it was caused me to react poorly. I’m still not interested, but I know my words weren’t appropriate and I’m sorry if they’ve affected you over the past few days.”

It was a half-true statement. Something else he’d considered after Melody’s chat with him was his raw emotion at having Neon, of all people, be attracted to him. He understood why it elicited such an awful feeling in him, but he concluded that he projected his disgust too strongly onto her. It was possible Neon had no clue of the eyes’ bloody history. She didn't directly take them from his clan. Her hobby was still gross, but it wasn’t the disturbed and spoiled part whose attention he caught, but the teenage girl. Kurapika's resistance to the whole thing stemmed from the thought of being forced into some kind of relationship with her. But maybe knowing she saw his finer qualities was something he could live with. Saying it flattered him might have been an exaggeration, but, after thinking about it a little, he genuinely appreciated her interest in him even if he found her to be unappealing. 

“Affected me?” Neon turned her head to him with furrowed brows “What do you mean?” Then she tapped her cheek like she was remembering a trivial task she was supposed to do, “Oh! You mean how busy I’ve been over the last few days?! There’s nothing wrong, I’ve just been gathering materials and prepping some things for meeting Marino. I know Jennie hasn’t called back yet, but I want to have everything ready just in case. It’ll make a good impression if I don’t keep him waiting too long.”

He had no clue what she meant by materials. He was too busy staring at her like she’d grown a second head. It seemed like she was barely grazed by what he said to her. Her long disappearances into her room were all the result of her getting ‘ready’ for something; something that he wasn’t in the know about. There was the mention of it being for the meeting with Marino, but he failed to see what she wanted from him. The day they met her childhood friend, he’d been certain it was something she wanted to do out of boredom. 

“What will happen when you meet him?” He ventured to ask, unsure how to proceed after his apology but also suspicious of any activity his charge took part in that he wasn’t knowledgeable about.

“Ah!” She tapped her nose “It’s just a little project I’m working on; you’ll know more about it tomorrow, I guess. But I also don’t want to talk too much about it and get my hopes up too high only to look like an idiot if he totally shuts it down.”

Kurapika frowned, “Boss, you should tell me-“

“Everything, I know,” Neon sighed, waving her arms dramatically “But look; I promise, it’s nothing big, and it definitely doesn’t disturb my personal safety, Mr. On-Duty,” Did she expect him to just take her word for it? He didn’t keep her alive during Yorknew by concerning himself with her preferences. His mouth opened, and she cut him off again “Just let me explain it to you tomorrow.”

He rubbed the back of his neck “I... very well, Boss.”

“Good! Glad that’s clarified,” Her grin slipped into a more coy smile, one that promised her plotting something “Oh, and Kurapika, thanks for apologising. I accept it but you didn’t need go to that extent. The truth about my confession is that nothing’s changed, just ‘cause you turned me down or whatever. I still feel some kinda way about you and like you, especially now that you said you’re flattered.”

The urge to pull his own hair struck him, panic and annoyance rising in him in equal amounts. A little strain filtered in and his voice almost cracked “But, Miss Neon, I thought we already establish-“ His focus was so split that he tripped on his own feet and only saved himself at the last second. It was definitely easy to catch.

Which Neon did as she continued to grin “Don’t get yourself all riled up again,” The distress in his system paused and slowed down at the collected air she spoke in, “I get that you’re not interested, even though I think you’re crazy. I’m just saying that I’m gonna keep liking you because I can’t help it and I’m gonna ask right now; is it going to be a bother or a problem for you?”

This was it, the tone of her question hinted at the very topic that he’d talked about with Melody before. What would happen if he told her that it would bother him? Her stance on it was adamant, so would she sink down to firing him if he disagreed? The more important concern was whether it _actually_ bothered him. Until the notion of her crush entered his mind, Neon’s actions, such as the gifts and attempts to get closer to everyone, didn’t upset him at all. It was only when he was backed into a corner and believed she expected a positive answer from him, that he lashed out at her.

He flashed his gaze around the area as they approached the fountain and stopped. Good, there were no cameras focused on them at all now, they only watched the entrance to this section. Where the rushing water of the fountain would sound soothing on a normal day, at that moment it was irritatingly like the ticking of a clock to hurry up and answer. To Neon’s merit, she wasn’t rushing him and took his sudden stop well by wandering over the edge of the fountain and sitting by it.

For the first time he completely dropped all formality with her. His shoulders sloped downwards into a relaxed posture, the way he was used to being around Melody or his friends from the Hunter Exam. Taking a deep breath, he sat on the edge of the fountain as well “I understand now that, like you said, you can’t control how you feel so I can’t find a fault in that. But-“ He added in a sharp voice as soon as he noticed her eyes gleam, “Forget for one moment that I work for you and let me say this plainly and casually. Nothing has changed for me either; you’re free to like me for as long as you want but that doesn’t mean I’m obligated to like you back. Please don’t expect me to reciprocate your attraction. Am I being clear?”

“Crystal!” She chimed and giggled “Was that supposed to be you talking in simple terms?”

He let out a sigh of relief. Gratitude at how civil she was being seeped through his body and he began to straighten up again “Well, we aren’t friends so that was-Whoa!” He threw his arms up to grab her shoulder and tensed when she suddenly leaned towards his cheek with her lips puckered and arms spread open for a hug. Kurapika’s eyes were the size of saucers as he gently but firmly pushed her back to her original position “What are you doing?!”

Neon didn’t put up a fight, but she was still pouting “A celebratory kiss on the cheek!”

Kurapika stood and put as much distance between them as he could. With his arms crossed, he pressed his lips together before speaking, “There is still the matter of consent, Boss. I’ll try not to say anything about how you feel about me but please refrain from doing things like that in the future without my permission.” He could feel his ears turning red at the tips again because of her unannounced and unpredictable actions. 

Even as he turned on his heels to walk away, signalling the end of the conversation, her voice still followed him, all chirpy and light-hearted “Are you ever going to give me permission, then?”

“Not likely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So another Kurapika chapter. I thought doing the first confession from his perspective would be better since he's got the WAY more conflicted feelings at this point. Except for her volatile emotions, Neon's got your run of the mill crush and I wanted to explore why he just would not be interested in her at this point. I guess this might turn out more slowburn-ish than I thought but now Neon's attraction is out in the open and Kurapika's more or less accepted it, we can REALLY get the ball rolling on actual romantic development!


End file.
